Far from the somewhat formatted communication of traditional press releases, the exchanges between the French pilot and the journalists in the Tech3 hospitality are of a richness and simplicity that true enthusiasts will appreciate (you can find all his past debriefs in our section (“Interviews").
There is always the little detail that immerses us more every day in the world of MotoGP…
As usual, we report here the entirety of Johann Zarco's comments, in raw form, therefore without any journalistic formatting or distortion.
Have you recovered from your running?
“Yes, it was difficult. I need to check my heart rate because I maxed out at the finish line, not on the bike.
It's been a tough race, but I think that's the case for everyone. At the beginning, I had a good feeling, but the electronic settings we made were too pronounced, and so I had to play with it to get better acceleration, because I was comfortable driving the motorcycle with a full tank, but I was losing acceleration. So I tried to take my references, and when the track dried out a little, I had a good feeling but not as good as I expected. It was therefore necessary to remain focused. I saw Crutchlow fall, then Lorenzo, and I thought those two guys were behind me in the championship. All the guys were falling and I told myself I had problems but it was difficult for everyone. For the end of the race, I was able to maintain my pace but I really couldn't go any faster because I experienced some serious heat. But I was able to follow Redding, and on the last lap, I had this fuel problem. There was no more gasoline. This is definitely something that should not happen and we are disappointed. I can also make mistakes, and maybe it's the Japanese engineers or other mechanics who can make mistakes. It's the race. I just think about the race, and in the end I scored a point. It's better than nothing and I tell myself that there are much worse things in life than ending up without gasoline. »
When you say the electronic settings were too pronounced, which ones were they?
“There was too much Traction Control. The bike still slides a little when exiting corners and that's why I could hear that there was too much Traction Control. I asked the mechanics to add a little more because I wasn't relaxed for the warm up. But it seems that wasn't the area I needed to work on. But with the buttons I was able to manage it and it was pretty good. »
How was the grip compared to the Warm up?
“With less rain, there was less water on the track, and for me it was getting better, but I really expected to have a stronger feeling, like when I took pole position at Assen. Or like in the past in Moto2, where we started with a lot of rain before it dried, and I could really improve my time every lap. But today was not that kind of situation. »
When you ran out of gas, what did you think?
“I had the fuel problem before turn #11. With the “boooooo, buuuu” noise, I immediately understood that it was a fuel problem. I stayed in sixth gear and really used the bike to a minimum, and it worked until turn #14. But in the last two left turns it was even worse. In the last corner I had to get off the bike and run. And it was long! I knew there were two lines; the start line and the finish line. The finish line was really far away and it's good to have the public for that. We have to think that MotoGP races are like a show, and at least I put on a bit of a show, and we won't forget that. »
Did you realize you saved a point?
" Yes I knew it. I was running and I saw the guys overtaking me. I didn't see Folger but I think I saw the two KTMs, then I saw Crutchlow and I was like “ah, even having fallen, he finished in front of me”. You therefore waste less time falling than pushing your motorcycle. »
So you changed maps during the race?
“Yes, as we usually do. We have engine braking options and acceleration options, and this allows, if we are not perfect in suspension or motorcycle balance, to make arrangements with the engine maps. So there, the strategy was to have little power and a lot of traction control, but in the race, it was even too much. So we just had to change, and it was fine. »
Isn’t that what made you overconsume?
" No no no. Because once I got on my Map, I was fine. No, no, that's really not what made people consume more. This is simply a miscalculation. »
You say that in these racing conditions, you had already done the races and improved regularly...
“No, I didn’t succeed there. Afterwards, it's about gaining experience with these tires, this bike. The track was still tricky, from start to finish. In Moto2, it's a category that I understood well, and I knew the tires really, really well. The drier the track got, the faster I managed to go. That's something I still can't get to work on MotoGP, every time there's a wet track. »
All the Yamahas were in a bit of trouble with the left side of their rear tire…
“I saw Vinales, and it’s true that he was uncomfortable at the start of the race, and then, on the other hand, with the track a little drying, he was able to set a better pace than mine . Yes, after that, a motorcycle postman... possible too, but that's experience. When you know your bike well, you can manage yourself in all conditions, a bit like Márquez does. This is how we can play the championship. »
If we could go back to the grid, apart from refueling, what would you change?
" Nothing ! Nothing, because to succeed in progressing in these conditions, we would need a lot more time. With what we did on the grid, everything was fine. No, there are no regrets! You have to go for it and live in the present! »
