MotoGP, Zarco denies the Pramac Ducatis are better than the factory bikes

When the lights go out at the Austrian Grand Prix, Johann Zarco starts from the second row of the grid. The Frenchman on the Pramac team had an excellent result in qualifying and although he said he did not do his best today, he defended fourth place with a view to tomorrow’s race.

“It’s been a good weekend so far, I’ve always been in good shape and it was an ideal situation to work in – said Johann Zarco at the end of qualifying – This morning and afternoon I had a little trouble finding the time attack. I lacked some grip and couldn’t make any difference on the flying lap. I’m very happy, I was able to try things out in FP4, had fun and want to stay positive. The front tire is even harder than the one we had last week, we’re still thinking about whether it might be the right choice tomorrow. We already know that we could put the hard at the front and the medium at the back. I am hopefull”.

During FP3 you waited a very long time before trying the soft tires, then you only did a couple of laps. If I’m not mistaken you said it was a waste of time, do you have problems with this type of tire?

“They are fine, but I haven’t been able to improve my times with them. I ran a lot better yesterday in FP1, but even when I didn’t make the time attack, I had competitive times, that’s the most important thing. I got an excellent position even though I wasn’t at my best today. “

Here in Austria Pramac seems to be doing better than the Ducati factory, what do you think?

“I have no idea; I know we have the same package. There are no big differences. Bagnaia had a good Saturday. We’re not much better off than they are. It’s a surprise, Jorge Martin was impressive again today. We are not much faster than the Ducati factory, we are very similar. “

You helped Jorge on the last lap, did you already plan to do the lap together?

“No, it wasn’t planned. I’ve been waiting for someone, it’s always convenient to have someone in front of you. That wasn’t a problem with Jorge, it was perfect to be in this place at that moment. “

Did you expect such a good season from Pramac?

“I am happy. If you have a good bike and are on a good team, you don’t have to wait long to get the results. “