Johann Zarco has had a promising start to the 2023 MotoGP season so far. It was race Sunday in particular that brought the Primac Pramac Ducati rider good results. Because while he only finished 8th and 13th in the sprints in Portimão and Termas de Río Hondo, he came up trumps in Sunday’s races with fourth place (Portimão) and most recently in Argentina with second place.
15 points behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing), Zarco is third in the championship ahead of the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. «The sprints are good for preparing for the race on Sunday, because they provide a lot of information,” the 32-year-old confirmed his previous performance and explained that he reckoned he had a good chance for Sunday’s race in Austin. “So far I’ve always gotten the big results on Sundays. I’m currently third in the World Cup, if I’m in the same position or even better this Sunday, that’s great.”
The new MotoGP format with the sprint on Saturday and the fan parade on Sunday morning is intended to bring the stars of the premier class closer to the spectators and fans. But Zarco also emphasized the dark side of the new concept. “They ask too much of us,” said the Ducati pilot and explained: “Of course the program is good for the show. However, they forget that we have to concentrate. On Saturday morning we have to present ourselves to the fans 15 minutes before free practice. This is mandatory, otherwise we face penalties. Even if it’s just free practice, we have to ride a bike at over 300 km/h and on some difficult routes. We should think about the fact that while the show is good, we need to focus on our job.”
After four riders were injured in Las Termas – Marc Márquez and Joan Mir (both Repsol Honda), Enea Bastianini (Ducati) and Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia) – Zarco went one step further: “Perhaps these 15 minutes are the reason that we drivers are more stressed and more accidents and injuries happen.”
Championship status after 4 of 42 races:
1. Bezzecchi, 50 Punkte. 2. Bagnaia 41. 3. Zarco 35. 4. Alex Márquez 33. 5. Viñales 32. 6. Miller 25. 7. Martin 22. 8. Binder 22. 9. Morbidelli 21. 10. Quartararo 18. 11. Marini 15 12. Rins 13. 13. Aleix Espargaró 12. 14. Augusto Fernández 8. 15. Nakagami 7. 16. Marc Márquez 7. 17. Di Giannantonio 6. 18. Mir 5. 19. Oliveira 3. 20. Raúl Fernández 2 .
Constructors’ Championship:
1. Ducati, 71 Punkte. 2. KTM 38. 3. Aprilia 32. 4. Yamaha 27. 5. Honda 20.
Team World Cup:
1. Mooney VR46 Racing, 65 Punkte. 2. Prima Pramac 57. 3. Red Bull KTM 47. 4. Aprilia Racing 44. 5. Ducati Lenovo 41. 6. Gresini Racing 39. 7. Monster Energy Yamaha 39. 8. LCR Honda 20. 9. Repsol Honda 12. 10. GASGAS Tech3, 8. 12. CryptoDATA RNF 5.