MotoGP, Zarco: I was as fast as the leaders

On a day in which the factory Yamahas did everything but shine, it was up to Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger to fly the flag for the Japanese manufacturer, finishing in fifth and sixth place after running an intelligent race, considering the difficulties at Montmelò.

The Frenchman didn't seem to be having an easy weekend, but in the race the Moto2 champion's performance proved to be more than positive.

“I'm pleased with the result but am also physically tired, like all the riders I think, due to the heat. There wasn't much grip and so the tyres deteriorated quickly, but this wasn't a problem for me, and when it happened, it appeared I had better feeling than my rivals”.

What really made things tough for the Frenchman was the fact he had to start from fourteenth: “Starting back there meant I had to fight right from the start, with a high risk of touching other riders. I thought I could catch the leaders, as they weren't extended their lead significantly. The same applied in the second part of the race, but as I had the same pace as they did, it was impossible to reach them. In the final stages, Petrucci crashed and Lorenzo passed, building a gap, so I concentrating on fighting with Jonas; I saw he was suffering so I decided to attack on the last lap, obtaining a result that really motivates me for the future”.

Just a few thousandths of a second behind the Frenchman was Jonas Folger, who topped off a great weekend by running with the leading group for a few laps, before losing a little ground to finish sixth: “It was both a positive and tough weekend, and I'm really pleased to have taken a big step forward with respect to previous races. Finally, we've improved where we needed to, or rather in qualifying and the first part of the race; by improving there, we've achieved a great result”.

The only blot on the German's important weekend was being passed by his team-mate, never a pleasant feeling.

“I was ahead of him for almost the entire race, but in the end he caught me and passed. This is the only negative of the race, as I thought I'd got the better of him. Aside from that, the really important thing is the step we've taken, for which I must thank my team for their great work”.