“The feeling is incredible,” said Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac) after finally winning the first Grand Prix of his career in the MotoGP category on Saturday in Australia, a success he described as “very moving”.
How does it feel to finally win a Grand Prix in MotoGP?
Johann Zarco: The feeling is incredible! After so many races, finally winning gives me so many emotions. I still find it hard to realize… Many times I had the possibility of winning in my career but other drivers managed to beat me at that time so I started to think sometimes that I would never achieve it, even if the hope of winning was still there. I always told myself that my driving style could make the difference at some point. But tire management is not easy for me and often I’m not relaxed and confident enough in the race… So it’s a great feeling.
When did you realize victory was possible?
I had a good start and had to fight a lot. When I was behind Pecco (Bagnaia), I held on to stay in contact. When I saw Jorge (Martin) escape, I told myself that it would be difficult to win but that I could at least aim for the podium. And in the last five laps, when Jorge was losing a lot of time, I told myself that maybe I could achieve something big. I told myself that I had to be in contact with Jorge in the last two laps to try to pass. When I saw that I could get back on Jorge, I started to overtake the others in front of me and I performed the maneuver at the right time to pass in front. I remained very calm even when I took the lead of the race and after crossing the line I didn’t shout, I just said to myself “that’s it, you did it”.
Is victory even sweeter here at Phillip Island, a circuit you love?
»I’m so happy to win, especially here because I love this circuit… Everyone loves the Phillip Island circuit because the races are spectacular so winning here means you’re one of the great drivers. It’s fantastic to win, but here it brings a little something extra. At the end of the race, a lot of drivers congratulated me and I could see in their eyes that they were really happy for me so it’s very moving.
Comments collected at a press conference
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