MotoGP Sepang Régis Laconi's point of view: “Johann Zarco has shown what he can do and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this opens up the possibility for him to race in 2020”

Maverick Viñales leading the first turn at the finish line, Fabio Quartararo struggling with his braking, Johann Zarco very well on the Honda but hit by Joan Mir, Marc Márquez relatively discreet, Andrea Dovizioso in full attack, this Grand Prix of Malaysia has not lacked interest. Régis Laconi gives us his point of view here.

Congratulations :

“They automatically go to the winner. Maverick did us great Casa Particular in Viñales. It was very good to see from the start where he was able to show aggression. He did not have a first half of the race where he was often less efficient. There he was perfect from A to Z throughout the Grand Prix. »

“I’m super happy to be able to speak so highly of him because he deserves it. He is one of the two official Yamaha riders with Rossi, so they are the ones who should logically be in front. »

Video: Maverick Viñales very happy with his victory:

https://twitter.com/mvkoficial12/status/1191036669220274177

Roll of honor :

“The roll of honor automatically goes to the Reds, with a Dovi which proves once again that he is also a very good driver. He got off to a magnificent start, because frankly starting from where he was on the grid*, he quickly found himself fourth. It was incredible. »

*On the fourth row next to Marc Márquez.

“In addition to that he starts well, he manages to manage his entire race well, with the enormous help of this engine which is the positive point of the Ducati which really has a brilliant powertrain. »

“If we talk about the positive, we will talk about the negative. It was extremely obvious that this Ducati, during the fights with Rossi, was still not turning enough. This means that, with the brakes released, before resuming the beginning of the throttle, the bike simply does not come back inside enough. »

“It's the first time I've seen this on this circuit that I know well and where the heat causes a loss of grip at the front. So the bike understeers a little bit, and that really showed a lot. Ducati must continue to work in this direction. They have already managed to improve the bike quite a bit. »

Encouragement:

“My encouragement will go to Red that I finally saw back. He was fine at Phillip Island, but it went downhill pretty quickly. Whereas there he was in the game throughout the race. He tried attacks and only made small mistakes. »

“To address the technical part, I would say that Yamaha absolutely needs to do something. They are talking about the 2020 engine and I frankly hope that something will happen because we cannot win a World Championship like this where the level is as high as it is today. »

“In such a tight group, the Yamaha lacks too much power. We need more power at high revs, on fifth and sixth gears, because currently it is catastrophic. »

Can do better :

“Comparing with the Phillip Island Grand Prix, it’s Crutchlow who started again what he does so easily, that is to say getting angry on the bike and thus making mistakes. Seeing his teammate* in front of him didn't amuse him at all. »

*Johann Zarco

“It led him to the mistake he made and I find it a shame because he lacks consistency. I know very well that it is never easy. »

The highlight:

“The highlight for me will go to our Johann zarco because he got a good start, managed his race well from A to Z. We know that he does not have the same bike as Crutchlow, and even less than Márquez and Lorenzo. But it was really good. He showed what he can do and I'm crossing my fingers for him, that it opens up the possibility for him to race in 2020 because he deserves it without the slightest doubt. He proved it, even if he missed the final result because of a poor move from Mir, who was penalized. »

The overall score of the Grand Prix:

“I would give it a 16 because it was interesting to watch and there were a lot of different brands of bikes battling it out at the front. It's a shame that Fabio didn't manage to get into the swing of things, but that's normal because he's gaining experience. He has to continue to move forward by continuing to create this experience. »

Maverick Vinales

Maverick Vinales

Andrea Dovizioso

Andrea Dovizioso

Photos © Yamaha, Ducati, LCR Honda