Zarco: "I get hit by Bastianini, who does it often..."

The Italian was definitely in the fray with the two Frenchmen involved in MotoGP this Saturday at Balaton Park. Victim of an error by Quarterly In the first corner, the KTM rider hit Johann Zarco a few corners later, still on the first lap of the Sprint. A maneuver that knocked both riders to the ground, and which did not surprise the Cannes rider at all, who had made a decent start.

"I get hit by Bastianini, who does it often.", he explained to the media present, including AUTOhebdo. "He often does extreme things, and they often work, but visually it's generally very limited. I've already seen him in the group do things where I thought he'd never get through the corner, and luckily it worked. And there... He's already fallen on actions like that, and today he took me with him. When he's behind, he goes off the rails. That's his style. When he's far away, he knows he can gain four places with one brake, and he does it."

Although the number 5 didn't see the end of the first lap, his Sprint almost ended at the first corner, as did Fabio Quartararo. Indeed, Zarco explained that he was somehow sandwiched between Jorge Martín's Aprilia and the inside kerb of the first corner. A very slow corner, where survival was the primary objective at the start...

“The start was pretty good, but the first corner was really tight and it was really hot. (Jorge) Martín took the kerb on the inside, and I was on the inside of him, so I really had to squeeze a lot. Luckily, it went through, but it put me on the outside of the corners that followed. I tried to make up places, hold mine, do my best. I had a little hesitation at Turn 5 because I didn't really want to pass Pecco (Bagnaia). You never know how you're going to slow down, it's difficult on the first lap.”

A pace “not sufficient” for the top 10

While Luca Marini crossed the finish line in fourth place on the factory Honda, Johann Zarco doesn't expect to be able to keep up the pace in the Grand Prix this Sunday. Both factory team riders have upgrades this weekend, which the Frenchman hasn't yet had the chance to use on his Team LCR machine.

"I don't know if I'll be able to maintain a pace under 1:38. I don't think so, or it will be very difficult. We made a little progress on Saturday morning, but it's clearly difficult to maintain the pace. Like in Spielberg, I can maintain a pace but it's not enough to be in the top ten. So we're trying to work on the bike, to find good things that can give me some sensations. I'll see in the warm-up if that can give me hope for the race."

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