Zarco: “The podium is the target”

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) had a more muted Italian GP compared to the race before, as the French rookie came home in P7 after having taken the podium at home at Le Mans. Now looking down the barrel of Barcelona, Zarco says the podium is still the target – having done it once, why not again?

Aiming to start making decisions on the all-important tyres on Thursday, Zarco also thinks he can work better on the setup of the M1 following the lessions learned in Mugello. The Frenchman is second highest-scoring rookie in an Independent Team in the MotoGP™ era since Casey Stoner debuted in the premier class, and wants to just keep adding points to that tally.

Johann Zarco: "The Barcelona round is up next and the track is nice, plus it should be hot. The circuit has a new layout since the terrible accident last year and as a result, it should be much slower than before. Overall, the team and I will need to manage the bike well, do our work and start making a decision about the tyres on Thursday. With the experience that I gained in Mugello, I think that I can set up the M1 better and I will push to be as close as possible to the podium, which is the target. We achieved this in France, so I will always keep this ambition in my mind in order to collect as many points as possible."