Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Johann Zarco produced a superb display today in front of an ecstatic crowd to finish 6th. The rapid French star lunged forward from 8th on the grid and as the distance dialled down, he fearlessly battled on. Zarco ran a phenomenal pace in the second half of the race, which matched the leading group and his final result strengthens his position as the top independent rider in the championship standings, and in 6th.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team garage, Jonas Folger was forced to withdraw from the British Grand Prix after falling heavily in the morning warm up. He was taken to the medical centre following the crash and was deemed unfit to ride as a precaution by the medical staff. The decision marks a disappointing end to the weekend, however, he will seek to bounce back at the San Marino Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time.

Johann Zarco
Position: 6^th - Championship: 6^th - Points: 109

“I am pretty happy with the final result. The race was positive but the start was tricky for me and it took some time to overtake Pol Espargaro. Once I got past him, I was very consistent throughout the sprint but the leading group ran a really strong pace and in the end, I couldn’t make the difference to catch them. However, Marquez had a problem, which allowed me to gain a position. So then, I fought with Lorenzo and I believed that I could beat him, but he kept some energy and finally he was quicker. The last two laps were tricky because I was sliding a bit too much, but I definitely made a positive choice with the tyres. I still need to work with the team to find the good setup and riding style to be able to do almost the same lap time from the start to the finish. Ten points are good and I’ve gained some ground on Pedrosa in the championship, which is positive. So overall, I have learnt a lot, I was competitive all weekend and I finished not far from the first guy.”

Jonas Folger
Position: DNS - Championship: 9^th - Points: 77

Hervé PONCHARAL
Team manager

“Before I begin, I want to say that we were all sad to not have Jonas on the grid with us today. He worked hard all weekend to beat a stomach virus and showed good form on Saturday. We were really hopeful for today because he felt better than yesterday and we were confident that he could deliver a strong performance at this track, which he likes. Unfortunately, there was an issue on his out lap in warm up and he had a very fast crash. Luckily he is ok, but the doctor wisely decided to not let him start. This was a shame but the positive point is that he is fully fit and we really hope that he will have the luck that he finally deserves in Misano and I’m sure he is going to be fast there. Meanwhile, Johann Zarco once again produced a magnificent ride. This time his start was not as good as at some of the other races, and he was blocked by a couple of the slower riders and it took him a few laps to get out of this group. Yet, once he was clear, he lapped as quickly or sometimes even faster than the guys in front and this is a pity because he could have been with the front group. Anyway, I want to congratulate Johann who was very quick and he collected some important points, which strengthens his position as the top independent rider in the championship so we are very proud and happy with him. I want to also congratulate Yamaha because it’s good to see them back in front with three YZR-M1’s in the top six. I’m sure we are going to have some more interesting races and the championship is closer than ever so we are excited already for Misano.”