Since the start of this overseas campaign, Zarco likes to play on our nerves. A timid start to the race which allowed the peloton to catch him, forcing him to be cautious at all times to manage his points capital like a good father, all while his opponents were, on the contrary, obliged to show panache... But then of this Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying, the Frenchman showed who was boss.
This time there was no calculation. The sensations were there in an environment that invited you to fall into the first trap that came along. The Sepang bitumen hesitated between wet and dry and you had to be strong in your head to make a friend of these conditions.
And yet, pilot Ajo succeeded. And not just a little. At the end of the qualifying session, he not only took his fourteenth career pole position and his sixth of the season. He completely rejected his second with more than two seconds. A chasm in an environment where the thousandth is sold at a high price.
Returning to what remains an achievement, the World Champion in search of a new coronation commented: “ it's a good place for the start of the race tomorrow. Like everyone else, we suffer from changing track conditions. When it's completely wet, it's fine, but when it dries, you never really know where you are with the slicks because the track is never completely dry. Sometimes we can attack, then we can find ourselves at the limit and come close to falling or getting scared ».
« For my part, I managed to stay relaxed and during the tests, I was never at the top of the hierarchy. I gained confidence, especially for the race. As for this qualification, we started in the wet and then it got dryer. I like riding with the rain tires, I had good sensations and I had fun. I did some good laps but towards the end, I came into the pits to rest my tires a little. My tires have dropped in temperature a little. When I left, I was able to do some more good times and beat Morbidelli at the end ».
Let the dough rest so that you can then better stew your opponents, here is the recipe for someone who could win a second crown on Sunday if they win: “ tomorrow, we will have to make the difference at the start. To stay focused and have a fluid style, the ideal would be to lead the race. This is what I will try to do. And then I will try to sleep well, to stay calm. We'll have to see the weather forecast tomorrow... The battle will be fun if it doesn't rain. On the other hand, the race risks being long in the wet. In which case, you will have to be even more concentrated ».
His two opponents for the title are further back on the starting grid: Lüthi is seventh whilealex rins is twenty-third.
