Zarco secures title of best independent driver in Portugal

Johann Zarco was smiling again after finishing fifth for the second time in a row at the Algarve GP. The Cannes player, who experienced a contrasting second half of the season, is gradually getting closer to the forefront. “It’s a good confirmation of the speed we showed throughout the weekend,” he said. I felt pretty good and even thought I could fight for the podium, because the pace with the hard tire at the rear could have been another advantage in the last five laps. »

Too bad for the Ducati rider since the race was interrupted three laps from the finish following the collision between Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira. “I was about to exploit this advantage or at least try, but I saw the red flag and I finished fifth. I am happy. »

Thursday, before the start of this Algarve GP, Zarco set himself the objective of fighting to finish on the final podium, but that was without counting on Joan Mir. The Suzuki rider finished second and secured third place. “I think Mir confirmed that he was world champion,” Zarco said. He was strong throughout the weekend and with 20 points today he took third place overall. This little glimmer of hope is now extinguished for this year, but fighting for the Top 4 or Top 5 is a good goal to keep in mind. »

BEST INDEPENDENT TEAM – BEST INDEPENDENT RIDER @JohannZarco1 !!!!
WHAT A TEAMMMMM🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/sA9A0ZDR6V

— Prima Pramac Racing MotoGP (@pramacracing) November 7, 2021

And regarding what he lacked on Sunday to be among the top three, the Frenchman added: “After the difficult races, it's good to be fast again. I lost too much time at the start, I lacked a little confidence in the first turns to attack at the front. Others have a better feeling about this and they can try. This is the weak point and I try to analyze everything. I'm not off to a worse start than at the beginning of the year, but the others have made big progress on this point and I haven't had it yet. It's a shame, because today when I felt good I missed a great podium opportunity because of my start and the first two laps. But feeling good at the end of the race, physically fresher, the feeling is back and it's positive. I must be happy. »

With this fifth place, however, Zarco won the title of best private driver. With more and more teams fielding machines practically similar in every way to their official counterpart, the fight is tough: “I remember with Tech3 that there was this fight especially in 2018 in terms of points with Petrucci who had had good seasons with a few podiums, explained Zarco. Today, with the bike you can compete for a Top 3 or even a world title. But when you're in trouble, you hold on to everything you can and I find this title to be a bit emblematic, so I'll take it. And even thinking about it, it was Aleix who played the title with me at the end of the year, but it's not just us, Pramac, who are well armed. If we consider the LCR team, they have renowned riders with good bikes so it's not a small title. There are still some big caliber pilots. »

After a game of golf on Monday afternoon to clear his mind, Zarco will head to Valencia for the final meeting of the season. Objective: finish at the foot of the final podium.