CG, Le Mans – If he made a mistake at the Spanish Grand Prix and therefore does not arrive with the best confidence at his national GP, Johann Zarco can count on the public, already very present on the Bugatti circuit on this Thursday of the Grand Prix de France, to give it to him.
With his first name chanted in the pit lane when the pit lane opened to the public, the Frenchman could feel the support from the press conference and was then treated to a walkabout, which brings extra motivation to time to concentrate on preparing for the first tests which will start tomorrow at 9:55 am.
“It brings more smiles because there are fans on the other circuits but here they are more numerous and shout our name, so it makes you smile. Of course we don’t hear them on the bike because it’s too loud. We can see them a little but it’s not like in a stadium where we hear singing”did he declare. “Of course we are motivated because even if we didn’t want to, it gives us an extra.”
After a double French podium last year won alongside his compatriot Fabio Quartararoexpectations are bound to be high, but there is no question for Zarco to change the way it operates this weekend, despite the pressure on its shoulders.
“My approach is not different because if I have a different approach it means I don’t judge other Grands Prix as important, and that would be a mistake. It’s a different feeling, people are shouting our name [les cris du public se font entendre dehors, ndlr] but the approach is the same”he explained.
This approach was reinforced by the test carried out in Jerez the day after the Grand Prix, which allowed him to reassure himself as to his competitiveness for this weekend: “I hope I can use the bike well here. We should have a lot of dry testing and it will be good to have a good feeling. For sure after the Jerez race I was disappointed, and the test was good to find something else. I was faster, I learned [des choses] and I hope it will continue here at Le Mans. You have to see the weather because it was supposed to be dry all weekend and that has changed so we will adapt. Everyone is pretty strong and ready to fight. Jack [Miller] love this trail and will be there. I’ll do my job and see what I can do.”
Finally achieve victory
An arrival at the forefront on Sunday would necessarily be positive for confidence, and also for the championship, since the Frenchman is only seventh at 38 points from Quartararo, but nevertheless third Ducati rider.
Despite very good results, Zarco also encountered difficulties at the start of the season, but he knows that it is consistency that will pay off at the end of the year. Inevitably, the dream of his first victory is still very much present and would represent a major milestone for him.
“I think it was great to get podiums this year, it was a sign of good speed. There were different guys on the podium and to have been on it twice is a good sign but to have falling twice in Argentina and in Jerez doesn’t help to be well placed in the championship, so you have to find consistency, repeat those podiums, and then I’m still chasing after that first victory. is sure that it would make me gain in confidence and also in regularity”he added.