Was victory achievable for Zarco in Buriram?

A wet track, storms, thunderclaps... everything came together for an unpredictable race in Thailand. However, despite these Dantean conditions, only two falls were to be deplored.

It's more about the duel fabio quartararo / Francesco Bagnaia that the attention was still focused, a psychological duel at a distance between the two pretenders to the crown. The Italian did an excellent job by finishing on the third step of the podium and took advantage of the sinking of his French rival to come back to 2 points overall.

On reserve?

However, some would be tempted to believe that this third place for Bagnaia was acquired after a little help from Johann Zarco. Ninth in the first lap, Zarco then embarked on a dazzling comeback until returning in the wake of Bagnaia a few loops from the end. On the 19th lap, the Frenchman even set the best time of the race and took more than 2 seconds from Miguel Oliveira between the 17th and 20th laps. 

So why did you give up behind Bagnaia? “I had the speed and I could have taken more risks when braking,” admits Zarco. I'm upset not to have been able to win, but I'm proud to have been able to, let's say, manage and wait behind the strong Ducati man of the moment who plays his place. I don't want to favor (Bagnaia, editor's note) and that it's not cool for Fabio. »

“It’s the victory we had to aim for today” – Johann Zarco

Zarco actually claims that it was too late to pick up Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller and claim his first victory. “For a victory, you have to play your luck,” he said. There, it was a podium, but it was victory that we had to aim for today. It's good like this. I'm happy, I stayed focused all the time despite these conditions where you can't see anything, it's slippery (…) I have a slightly different style in the rain and in somewhat limited conditions, I didn't dare take risks at the beginning, because I knew I could be fast at the end. If it had dried up three laps before, I would have overtaken Pecco and I would have had the speed to pick up Jack and Miguel. But when you only have three laps left, you tell yourself that you no longer have time to make this extra effort. I saw that Marc was no longer in contact, it's perfect like that. »

And to add on the subject of Ducati's instructions to help Bagnaia: "For several races, Ducati has told us that it does not want to deprive us of a victory, but if we cannot win and we are in another place, if we can calculate a little, they will be grateful. »

Despite everything, the Pramac driver concludes this weekend with his best result since his second place in Germany. He is no longer aiming for podiums, but the victory after which he has been chasing since his debut in the premier category in 2017. “I have to play for victory to unlock this counter,” he emphasizes. I have nothing more to play for in the championship. I have already recorded podiums, it's beautiful... I have to play for this victory. »