After several months of interruption, we are resuming our habit of referring to you in full the words of Johann Zarco, in a raw way, therefore without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
Alongside the sometimes slightly formatted communication of traditional press releases, the exchanges between the French rider and the journalists in the hospitality of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team are of a richness and simplicity that true enthusiasts will appreciate (you can find all his past debriefings in our section “Interviews").
There is always the little detail that immerses us more every day in the world of MotoGP…
This is the first time you've gone under two minutes...
Johann zarco : “yes, I'm happy to be under two minutes, but today it was difficult. Like yesterday, I felt that I could be really consistent on the bike because we weren't degrading the tires much. So it's a rather positive point to prepare for certain races but I think we are very consistent but not fast enough. We encountered these types of problems throughout the day. We tried to change things on the bike, and in one way I'm very confident, but in another way I didn't feel completely good about everything we changed. So that makes the job a little more difficult, and when it was necessary to attack at the end with the soft tire and a light bike, I didn't expect to be under two minutes. This is positive and first of all it brought a smile to my face and to the team. This means that we have some potential to use and understand, because we take corners well but we are not yet attacking enough from the front. »
What chassis did you use?
“The 2017. Like the one I tested in Valencia in November and which I also tested here in November during the Yamaha private tests. I decided to work on it, at least for these first official tests. Yes, I’m still on 2017.”
Can you change your mind?
“I don’t know that yet. I think if I hadn't done less than two minutes, then maybe I would have taken the 2016. But I'm not that far from what I did in October, so that means that there are things to try, and Yamaha still gives us the choice to change. So I'll see. This is only the first official test, and here I am happy to see that I am competitive and feel comfortable on the bike. I can give information, but afterwards, if we are not able to exploit this potential, perhaps we will think about changing. »
How is this chassis different?
“He’s not very different and that’s why it’s complicated to say. Is it the chassis? Is it the pilot? Is it the track conditions? Is it the tires? Racing mechanics really have a lot of information to control…
So there's not much difference, and that's why we want to try, and that's also why the factory riders wanted to try last year as well. And I think this year as well, they're still looking. »
Isn't it a bit strange that Rossi and Vinales didn't like this chassis at all, and you are fast with it?
“Today, I stopped half an hour before the end of the tests, and before the temperature was lower, so I think I will not be at the top of the ranking today (editor's note: debriefing carried out before the end of session). If I'm still in the Top 5, that's great, but we saw that a lot of drivers could be under two minutes and maybe even under 1'59.5. We are here and the main thing is to stay calm and understand what we are doing to prepare for the season, because we now have the choice of bikes, the team to achieve good results, and the rider. So let's keep calm and make the right decision before Qatar. »
Yesterday you said you weren't fast enough, but you were faster today...
“That’s why I’m pretty happy.” Yesterday I said we were very consistent but not fast enough, and today it was the same problem. Then, in the last few minutes that I was riding, we found speed. So if we can keep it, it will be good. »
Overall, are you pretty happy?
“Yes, yes, quite happy, especially with this time at the end because I wasn't hoping so well. I still have a little difficult feeling, with always the same pattern: a bike with which you can do a lot of laps on the tire because it no longer degrades like before. And that's something we're looking for, but when the driver can't go as fast as the others, or when we put on a new tire, not being able to make a big difference, it's more difficult. to understand. This afternoon, it worked and it allows us to see even other things. We'll see at the end if I've dropped a lot in the rankings but I'm happy with what I've done now. What's reassuring is that the driver is in the loop, and at least when I feel something and tell the team, the information is good. That's the most important thing. »
At one point during the day, you were walking around in circles quite a bit in the box. Have you changed any important things on the bike?
“Not so much, it was more to save energy. Yesterday, I did a lot of laps, and there, so as not to cause doubt while driving without it happening, I preferred to take a breath and lie down a little to always keep my reasoning straight. »
Have you made any progress regarding the engine?
“It's hard to say about the feeling, but we can see that we gained at least 5 km/h, which is not nothing. »
At the end of a day like that, do you have the pressure of having progressed in your riding or have you always remained very focused on the machine?
“The simple result of the time proves that I have the speed, and therefore that I do not need to doubt myself if I have difficulties. That’s more how it should be seen. »
MotoGP #SepangTest J.2: Chronos
1. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, 1:59,355 min
2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,035 sec
3. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,088
4. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, +0,143
5. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,154
6. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0,347
7. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,375
8. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,377
9. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,392
10. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0,562
11. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +0,570
12. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, +0,644
13. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,687
14. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +0,907
15. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +1,151
16. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,165
17. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,307
18. Mika Kallio, KTM, +1,346
19. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +1,373
20. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +1,559
21. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1,597
22. Sylvain Guintoli, Suzuki, +2,037
23. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +2,101
24. Yonny Hernandez, Yamaha, +2,199
25. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +2,334
26. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2,455
