Let's talk MotoGP: Why Johann Zarco did nothing wrong

The Thai Grand Prix has attracted a lot of attention. We will have the opportunity to return in detail to the majestic performance of Miguel Oliveira as well as the other notable moments of the race, but we must first look, for the big return of this section, to what is most talked about since two days.

Before beginning, it is important to note that this article only reflects the thoughts of its author. All comments will be read and discussed if relevant. All these men who put on the helmet on Sunday are heroes, and no contempt, no lack of respect towards any manufacturer or driver is justifiable.

To do this, we will, as usual, present two specific points in order to understand the situation. Before that, let us first study the situation with the greatest objectivity. What happened ? On the wet track of Buriram, Pecco Bagnaia remains in third position and contains Marc Márquez, but seems distanced from Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira.

At the end of the race, Johann zarco fits hard on the head. He is then in an excellent rhythm, which allows him to overtake Márquez. With Bagnaia in sight, third place seems promised to him but despite a big difference in pace at the moment, Zarco never delivers the blow. On the last lap, he lost a few meters on the Italian driver, thus sealing his fourth position. What do you think? Response elements.

I) MotoGP like Formula 1?

The double 2-2015 Moto2016 world champion admitted, in an interview, that Ducati riders respected “racing instructions” from Misano. Here, words are important. Indeed, motor sports, often practiced by teams of two or more, have always been imbued with team instructions. This gives the viewer the impression of a truncated race, which does not reflect the true level of the drivers.

However, it is essential not to generalize. In Formula 1, the instructions are explicit, because the radio allows live communication with the pilots. Thus, it is not uncommon to see the second place aside to let his teammate who is better placed in the championship pass. This philosophy has never been applied to MotoGP, apart from a few exceptions and the "mapping 8" of Jorge Lorenzo in Valencia in 2017. On two wheels, it's a much more taboo subject on two wheels.

 

 

Zarco admitted that instructions were given after the race Misano, but one should not imagine that these were orders similar to Formula 1. After the frank attacks ofEnea Bastianini in Misano, Ducati (apparently) made it clear that any too daring maneuvers on Quartararo's rival had to be avoided. But isn't that understandable?

Without questioning Zarco's comments, it is enough to observe the races to realize that Bagnaia does not benefit from real preferential treatment comparable to the champions of Formula 1 from the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, not to mention anyone. If Zarco left him third place, we must keep in mind that Bastianini did not hesitate to overtake him for a victory in Aragón, and that Miller finished here in front of him when it would have been easy, for Ducati , to send him a message when victory was definitely out of reach.

II) Why should Zarco have tempted the devil?

Imagine for a moment that Zarco wins Bagnaia, while the Pramac Racing team is considered the sister team of the Ducati factory, and which also benefits from machines from the current year. Official teams play a big role in private structures, and this is not only the case at Ducati. Given that they have eight machines, the phenomenon is simply more visible.

 

 

This season Cal Crutchlow, Darryn Binder et Franco Morbidelli never showed themselves at the level of Quarterly (except in Thailand), but don't you think Yamaha would ask the same thing if they were playing at the forefront? The risk factor, in Buriram, had to be taken into account. In the post-race interview, Zarco confided another element, less highlighted by the media: “But as soon as we left that line, it became risky, and it would have been a shame to make a big mistake”.

So why should Zarco have risked a double fall? A similar situation in the dry would have been much more difficult to swallow. We have seen a number of drivers evolve delicately, and almost make a mistake. Johann Zarco thought of the brand, which, moreover, gave him the opportunity to make a name for himself again in MotoGP and continues to give him a machine capable of playing for the title or at least victories. Can we throw stones at him?

As the famous English saying goes, “it’s not the players, it’s the game.” bagnaia, bastianini, zarco, Miller and all the other drivers evolve in an extremely competitive environment where, sometimes, the simple spirit of the race takes second place, but while remaining within the rules, and individualities have nothing to do with it. In the end, Ducati fights with better weapons, but on the same battlefield as everyone else. No one is stopping other manufacturers from doing the same.

What do you think about this thorny question? Tell us in the comments !

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport