Johann Zarco: Fabio Quartararo Can Do What Is Difficult For Other Riders

JAKARTA - Pramac Racing Ducati rider Johann Zarco said his compatriot Fabio Quartararo could do what is difficult for other MotoGP riders.

Fabio Quartararo has been very consistent in the last two races in Catalunya and Germany, respectively. In the two series, he was able to grab the first podium even though the other riders seemed to struggle because they had to struggle with tires.

"I saw very well in Barcelona and also at the Sachsenring. In both races he maintained an impressive pace, while all the other riders struggled with the tires," said Zarco on the MotoGP website.

"He had the pace in the first lap of the race to widen the gap and after that it was difficult for everyone to catch up again. We all want to do it, but not everyone can do it," he added.

Zarco said, as defending champion Quartararo clearly had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Moreover, people will expect him to continue to win race after race to come out as champion again.

"There's a lot of pressure. He had to hit it alone. In certain situations you know you can win because you have done it and because of that you really want to be successful.

“Then the people around you expected you to win and now he has. It's impressive to me that he has this maturity."

Quartararo actually got off to a not-so-impressive start to the season after missing out on the podium in Qatar. His appearance also did not improve even though he had climbed the second podium in the second series at the Mandalika Circuit, Indonesia.

The 23-year-old racer has not been able to maintain good results during the races in Argentina and America. He was only able to return to consistency after the first podium in Portugal.

After that, he only failed to podium once during the race in France. The remaining four series he managed to win each of the first two podiums in Catalunya and Germany and two second podiums in Italy and Spain.

“What impresses Fabio from a technical driving point of view is his ability to carry the weight of being a world champion like he did. He is fighting to win a second title," said Zarco.

Currently Quartararo is still at the top of the standings. For this reason, the chances of defending the title are very open if they continue to appear consistent until the end of the season.