Johann Zarco missed pole and finished qualifying in Assen in fifth row, Caught between Nakagami’s Honda and Oliveira’s KTM. The French on his Ducati is currently second in the championship standings 22 points behind his compatriot Quartararo and now has to continue to defend his point difference a track that seems to favor its main rival.
“It was a difficult day, but I’m happy because in Q1 I managed to set the time for Q2 and in Q2 I continued to give it my all. I would have liked to have given more but it seems that Yamaha really does have an advantage at this track. or maybe they just have fewer technical problems than we do. This morning I made a few mistakes, then we tried different setups in FP4 and in the end I was able to find the right confidence with the bike with a few small changes. I’m happy because even if it wasn’t easy to find the right set-up for this track, it also shows that you can improve the driving experience a lot with a few small changes. Bagnaia did a good qualifying too, I’m also watching his performance to see where I can improve and tomorrow with a good start, if we ride in the dry, we may have a good chance of reducing the dominance of the Yamahas on this track “.
You said that the Yamaha has advantages or perhaps fewer problems, which of the two?
“These are two different ways of looking at the situation. For us, of course, it is more positive to be able to say that they have fewer problems than to admit that they have real advantages.”
As for the usual towing problem in Q1, do you think this is going to be a dangerous or even pathetic situation?
“I don’t think there was any danger today … we came out of the garage and I had to keep going because I had a technical problem up front and I hadn’t set a good time yet. Indeed it’s almost a pleasure to have Marc behind me! Every now and then I shut the gas to better understand the situation and what the other riders want to do, but at a certain point you can’t wait forever and have to start. We talked a lot about it in the Safety Commission and of course you can’t stop in the middle of the track, but we try to avoid as many risks as possible, then of course I still have to do my job and it’s the same for the other drivers. .. it’s part of the game i think. The problem arises when this situation bothers a driver who is trying to make his time, it has already happened in the past. But today we knew it wasn’t going to happen. “
And don’t you feel frustrated when everyone decides to follow you?
“Not always, it happened today because it was Q1, in Q2 they certainly didn’t expect me – the Frenchman replied with a laugh – and then, as I said on TV, Marquez is always a champion to me, he won last week too, so overall, the fact that he chooses to follow me helps a lot. “
We saw you a little tired during FP4, that doesn’t happen often …
“Today I really drove to the limit, the front often closed and to relax I pushed my elbow, which is not very my style. Even at the Sachsenring I went to the limit, but there I did I got the pole while there t enough here. If you feel the bike’s potential and really want to get it, you are really in trouble. “