MotoGP – Zarco: “Bastianini hit me from behind, but I decided to go out”

The surreal pre-race image was seeing Enea Bastianini crashing on the grid before the start. Later, in the television images, it was possible to see that Johann Zarco had practically stopped his motorcycle when he reached the squares, and that the Italian rammed his motorcycle against the Frenchman’s tail.

“A lot of things happened this Sunday, even before the start. Bastianini hit me. We all came out of that last corner, accelerating and braking to keep the tires warm and ready for the start and on TV you can see what happened. “The important thing is that no one got hurt. But I thought that my bike, when it hit me, was damaged and that it was going to ruin my race”, explained Zarco this Sunday after finishing fourth in Mugello.

“I looked at the bike and saw that it was fine (the blow was right on the tail), and I made the decision to go out. The start wasn’t great, but I was able to hold my position. Pecco (Bagnaia) fell immediately in ‘Arrabiata 2’ and the objective was not to let Fabio escape. I felt very comfortable with the new tires. He didn’t want to go down on the first lap, Pecco went down on the second. The strategy was to pass Fabio [Quartararo] on the straight and keep him behind. It worked at the beginning, but he fought hard to pass me sooner and later, so that I couldn’t catch him on the straight”, he assessed.

“He did very well, a bit like in Qatar , it was more or less the same strategy. It was pretty good, but I could see that I was missing something on the bike, it moved a lot and that used up a lot of energy. Maybe I could have kept Fabio from taking more risks with the front end, but it was easy to crash.

After losing contact with Quartararo , who ran away leading the race, Zarco was many laps in second, ahead of Miguel Oliveira , until he passed him, as did Joan Mir afterward.

“At the beginning, with Oliveira behind I was quite good, also with Mir, but then I started to lack a lot of energy. I made an effort for three laps and had a good time, but as soon as I wanted to get some air they started again and passed me. I would have liked to be on the podium, but I lacked a bit of energy”, assured the man from Pramac .

Despite finishing fourth, Zarco made a jump in the general standings and placed second, although 24 points behind his compatriot, Quartararo.

“Being second in the championship is very good. 13 points is a good loot. On the podiums you get a lot of points right away, like the 25 that Fabio has added, which are very important for him. But for me, with so many difficulties, 13 is enough. Mugello is a circuit where I usually had difficulties in MotoGP. That’s why being close to the podium and finishing fourth is a great satisfaction”, settled the boy from the Côte d’Azur .

The photos of Johann Zarco at the 2021 MotoGP Italian Grand Prix

Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Winner Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing, Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

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Winner Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing, Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

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Winner Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing, Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Mick Doohan, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Mick Doohan, Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Pole winner Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second place Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, third place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Pole winner Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second place Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, third place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Third place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing, third place Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

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Photo by: Dorna

Winner Jack Miller, Ducati Team, second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Winner Jack Miller, Ducati Team, second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Second place Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing, third place Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

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Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Photo by: Dorna

Johann Zarco Pramac Racing Takaaki Nakagami Team LCR Honda

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Photo by: Dorna