Johann Zarco (LCR Honda): “The penalty made everything even worse!”

In qualifying at Misano, MotoGP veteran Johann Zarco secured 11th on the grid for his Honda. He then crossed the finish line in tenth place in the Sprint. Although this didn’t earn him any World Championship points, he was at least the second-best Honda rider behind Luca Marini. In Sunday’s Grand Prix, Zarco had to start the race from 14th on the grid. The reason: at the start of Q2, he had hindered Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) whilst he was on a fast lap. Zarco acknowledged that he had made a mistake and was demoted by three places on the grid for the main race.

After the start, Zarco dropped another place. However, following a hectic first lap and the retirement of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), the Frenchman was 13th. As the race progressed, he moved further up the field – following Pecco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo) crash at the start of the sixth lap, Zarco suddenly found himself in the top 10. A few laps later, he was overtaken by Enea Bastianini (KTM Tech3). He then ran in 11th place for a long time, until he was overtaken by KTM rider Brad Binder on lap 21. It still looked as though Zarco might take home some World Championship points from Misano. But then came the drama: he crashed in Turn 8 with three laps to go.

“I missed the braking point slightly in Turn 8 and then went wide. I tried to turn in, but the bike slipped out from under me. I couldn’t prevent the crash,” Zarco explained. “There were still three laps to go, and I wanted to fight for a place in the top 10. The biggest mistake in my race, though, was that I couldn’t overtake Fabio (Quartararo). When Bastianini was behind him, I knew he’d lose a lot of time there. Looking at my pace, I think I could have kept up with him (Quartararo). I had a bit more in the tank than Fabio, but overtaking him was too difficult. On the track at the moment, I’m lacking a few key things that would give me the chance to get close enough to try an attack. If I attack now, I lose too much time and I go off the line. That was the problem on Sunday. On top of that, if you’re behind another rider for a long time, the tyre temperature rises – then the feel and the speed get even worse.”

Johann Zarco vor Brad Binder

Foto: Gold & Goose

Zarco: “If I’d been able to overtake Fabio, my race would have been a lot easier and much better.”

The 36-year-old then went on to discuss his weekend at Misano as a whole. “I’m disappointed because I got off to a pretty good start on Friday. On Saturday, I only managed 11th in qualifying. I wasn’t able to improve in the second run of that session. The penalty then made everything even worse,” lamented Zarco. “I didn’t score any points this weekend, but I had a very good performance and good pace on the bike. It’s a shame, and I hope things will go better in Austria.”

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Johann Zarco only made his comeback at Aragon at the end of August – after a three-and-a-half-month injury lay-off. How did he cope physically at Misano? “I knew it was a demanding track. But I can’t complain – my leg didn’t cause any problems. The arm pump did get to me, though. But that’s part of the game,” said the Honda rider. “But as I said, if I’d been able to overtake Fabio, my race would have been a lot easier and much better.”