Johann Zarco has brushed off criticism from Jorge Lorenzo about what the Ducati rider described as ‘PlayStation’-style riding during last weekend’s Motegi MotoGP round.
Lorenzo and Zarco came to blows on the fourth lap of the Japanese Grand Prix, as Lorenzo found himself eased wide by the Tech 3 Yamaha rookie at Turn 9.
It was a move that drew an angry response from Lorenzo, who even went as far as to say he would raise Zarco’s behaviour in the next meeting of the MotoGP Safety Commission.
Lorenzo said it was “too much”, “similar as when you play on PlayStation” and that “he doesn’t care.”
When Lorenzo’s comments were put to him at Phillip Island ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Zarco was non-plussed.
He said that as a rookie he has to earn the “respect” of his more experienced competitors on-track.
“He was on the outside and I was on the inside, and he tried to resist,” said Zarco.
“When the situation is like this, the one on the outside has to take care about what happens inside.
“In MotoGP you have to be just as aggressive as in the other classes. The MotoGP bikes are faster but also more stable.
“If I would have been [Marc] Marquez or [Valentino] Rossi, he wouldn’t let them pass.
“When you are a rookie, you have to work to get the respect from the others.”
Zarco started from pole position in Japan, his second pole of a stellar rookie campaign.
The 27-year-old is sixth in the points, comfortable the top rookie and nine points clear of seventh-placed Lorenzo.