‘The target is to win’, need to better ‘manage Sunday’ - Zarco

Johann Zarco matched his best career finish of second in the opening MotoGP race of the season and is looking to go one step further this Sunday. 

The French rider pointed to lacking acceleration coming out of the corners as an advantage that Maverick Vinales and Yamaha had during last weekend’s race. 

With the incredible speed on the straights not playing as big a factor for Ducati due to losing time on corner exit, Zarco is hoping setup changes and better management during the race will give him the chance to fight for victory

Asked during the pre event press conference about what it will take to turn second into first, Zarco said: "The construction of the tyre is always hard to manage. 

"My race staying second behind Pecco, and then trying to follow Maverick I think helped me a lot to be competitive until the end. 

"The one that can lead the race will have more problems in the second half of the race, but at the same time we need to be fast. 

"Let’s see how to manage Sunday. Our target is to have more possibilities like Maverick did to be fast at the end of the race or another one, but be able to fight for the victory and not the podium."

Ducati’s record at the Losail International Circuit has been well documented with Andrea Dovizioso taking victories in 2018 and 2019. 

Given the speed Ducati showed over the course of testing, practice and qualifying, not taking a victory in either Qatar race would be seen as a disappointment. 

However, the two-time Moto2 champion does not agree: "No. If we don’t get any wins in the two races here in Qatar we don’t need to be worried because we are so competitive. 

"If we can be in the top three all the races and still finish on the podium, then it is a good sign for the future. 

"The target is to win and we know we have the chance to do it, and we have to manage it to find some solution to have this chance and not struggle with the rear tyre."