Qualified 5th in the Qatar Grand Prix, Fabio Quartararo only had to stall when setting off for the warm-up lap before starting from the pitlane before setting the best lap in the race.
Overall, the results were positive before arriving in Argentina for the 2nd round of the season, where he declared yesterday: “I have trained a lot over the last few days and we also took the opportunity to analyze the race in Qatar. It is important to be ready for the next Grand Prix in Argentina. I didn't expect to be in the top 10, let alone top 5 in every session for my MotoGP debut. We had good pace throughout the weekend, but the fact that I had to start from the pit lane meant that we put too much pressure on the tires during the first part of the race. This is something to learn for this next race in Argentina and it is an area in which we will continue to improve throughout the season. I like the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit because it has long corners, and even though it is a bit bumpy, I'm sure it will be a lot of fun to ride there with a MotoGP. We arrive in Argentina without any prior testing, so the first laps will take place in FP1. We will have to stay calm but also learn the track quickly and discover the key points of the track with our bike.”
A great program that the French rookie from the Petronas Yamaha SRT team quickly put into practice by setting the 8th fastest time in FP1 before ending the day in 5th position, just 17 hundredths behind the fastest during an incredible showy session. bring together 21 riders in the same second, all with settings initially provided by Yamaha.
fabio quartararo : “This is what Yamaha does for every race. From this standard configuration, we continue to work every weekend and adapt to different circumstances. The first impressions of riding a MotoGP here in Argentina have been good. I expected the track to be dirtier and it would be harder for me to adapt to it. I thought it would be more difficult because we had never tested here before, unlike in Qatar. I felt very good and very comfortable from the start. In the last laps I think everyone tried to attack, and we managed to be competitive and stay among the top. The conditions were almost perfect, so I'm happy with the work we did today. Now it's time to focus on tomorrow and work on our race pace. The biggest challenge will be to protect the tires until the end of the race. I don't know yet which tire combination I will use. We’ll take care of it on Saturday.”
El Diablo does not forget tomorrow's qualification...
“Qualifying will certainly be difficult and we will have to drive to the limit if we want to get the best possible position on the starting grid. We cannot afford any mistakes and we will have to perform the perfect trick at the right time. I feel better with the MotoGP machine here in Argentina than last year in Moto2. The track is cleaner this year and I have more grip. I must say that the track is in good condition.”
MotoGP Argentinian Grand Prix, FP2 classification:
| Pos | number | Pile | Motorcycle | Chrono | 1st gap | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'39.181 | ||
| 2 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'39.190 | 0.009 | 0.009 |
| 3 | 12 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'39.345 | 0.164 | 0.155 |
| 4 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'39.346 | 0.165 | 0.001 |
| 5 | 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 1'39.357 | 0.176 | 0.011 |
| 6 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'39.441 | 0.260 | 0.084 |
| 7 | 42 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 1'39.451 | 0.270 | 0.010 |
| 8 | 93 | Marc MÁRQUEZ | Honda | 1'39.497 | 0.316 | 0.046 |
| 9 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 1'39.503 | 0.322 | 0.006 |
| 10 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 1'39.629 | 0.448 | 0.126 |
| 11 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia | 1'39.654 | 0.473 | 0.025 |
| 12 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARÓ | Aprilia | 1'39.697 | 0.516 | 0.043 |
| 13 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'39.740 | 0.559 | 0.043 |
| 14 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'39.799 | 0.618 | 0.059 |
| 15 | 36 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 1'39.946 | 0.765 | 0.147 |
| 16 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARÓ | KTM | 1'39.951 | 0.770 | 0.005 |
| 17 | 5 | johann zarco | KTM | 1'39.956 | 0.775 | 0.005 |
| 18 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'39.995 | 0.814 | 0.039 |
| 19 | 88 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 1'40.006 | 0.825 | 0.011 |
| 20 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 1'40.110 | 0.929 | 0.104 |
| 21 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Honda | 1'40.159 | 0.978 | 0.049 |
| 22 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM | 1'40.752 | 1.571 | 0.593 |
