Zarco: 'We don’t have a winning package yet', needs 'better control of the bike'

While Ducati’s new Desmosedici GP22 was expected to challenge for immediate MotoGP wins, special circumstances are their best chance of claiming victory, says Johann Zarco. 

The Pramac rider, who is one of three riders to be using the completely new GP22 engine - factory riders Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller elected for a hybrid between the GP21 and 22 - has not lacked pace comparable to other top runners, however, extracting the full potential is proving to be challenging at best. 

"We are still working on the GP22," said Zarco. "We still don’t have the full package to have the winning bike yet. So we are working on it. 

"Argentina I think can be a good track for us, it’s a track I like. For the next races we will see because each race is different. 

"You can always get surprises. Here, (Mandalika) I expected to really struggle but I was competitive all weekend, plus the rain on Sunday helped me to be on the podium. 

"I’m hoping to get a better control of the bike. As soon as we get this, I will be able to enjoy more and be stronger."

In terms of a team/rider pairing who is not struggling to extract the full potential of its bike is the full factory Red Bull KTM line-up of Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira. 

And although Zarco expects many different riders to claim podiums and wins throughout the year, the immediate success of Binder (second in Qatar) and Oliveira (won in Indonesia) has surprised the former two-time Moto2 champion.

Zarco added: "I think this is the nice thing about this category for two years now. The gap is so close and you can have different guys on the podium. 

"Clearly, to fight for the championship the most consistent one who is there (podium) will be in the top three at the end of the season. The podium in Qatar was something we didn’t expect, and here, the start from Miguel was really incredible. I think there will be different guys, but they will be there."