2 weeks after finishing the Argentine Grand Prix in 8th position, Fabio Quartararo confirmed his presence in the top 10 of the world elite by finishing 9th on the first day of testing at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Fabio Quartararo, Friday : “it was a positive day. The goal was to stay in the top 10 today and we managed to finish 9th, so I'm very satisfied. I made a few mistakes on my two fastest laps, so I'm pretty happy because we only had one tire to do our timed lap. So it's very good to finish in the Top 10 on the first day here in Austin. It's a very difficult circuit. When you enter the first sector, it is not easy and I think it is the most physical sector. This circuit is very physical, but I felt good on the bike. I think it's one of the most demanding circuits of the year and we know it's a good test of our fitness, although I think we're in pretty good shape. We'll see in the race, but it's a difficult circuit. But I'm happy. I managed to get into a good rhythm and work on our weak points from the first session. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. We're not officially in Q2 yet, but today the most important thing was to finish in the Top 10 because we know it's probably going to rain tomorrow.”
Quartararo, MotoGP, Grand Prix Of The Americas 2019
The next day, despite an FP3 canceled by storms and an FP4 reduced to its bare minimum in the dry, the French driver nevertheless managed to repeat this position in qualifying.
Fabio Quartararo, Saturday : “It was a day with very complicated weather conditions. We started FP4 with wet tires, but the track was partially dry in places, so it was difficult to understand the best way to ride. We started with a full tank and we weren't very confident. Going into Q2 without 100% confidence is not ideal, but finishing ninth is a good result: It's a place on the third row, so I'm very happy with the work we did on this difficult circuit. I know it's a very demanding track over 20 laps, but we have good pace, not identical to the front runners, but we are well placed to fight for the Top 10 and to be the best rookie. The important thing is to enjoy the race.”
Quartararo, MotoGP, Grand Prix Of The Americas, 2019
On Sunday, the weather conditions were excellent when the man who will celebrate his 20th birthday next Saturday lined up in 9th position on the grid. Author of a more than correct start, The Devil first had to battle with Danilo Petrucci before being able to definitively exceed Pol Espargaro.
By crossing the finish line in 7th position, isolated between the Ducati official and the KTM official, the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider thus recorded his best result in MotoGP and consolidated his current position as best rookie, 8 points ahead Francis Bagnaia.
In the world championship, the Frenchman occupies 10th position with 17 points scored, just ahead of his Italian teammate.
Fabio Quartararo, Sunday : “It was a very positive race. I managed to get a good start and do good first laps, staying in the Top 10. At the beginning, Pol Espargaró, Petrucci and I put obstacles in the way and we lost the group in front us which contained Dovizioso and Morbidelli. However, the pace was very good and although I had to slow down in the last five laps, I am very happy with the result. We improved Argentina's result and I was the best rookie again. Also, today I learned a lot riding behind Petrucci. Every time I'm on the track with the best drivers in the world, I learn. It is also very positive. I can’t wait to continue.”
Wilco Zeelenberg : “I am very happy with the work we have done here at COTA, and the fifth and seventh places achieved. We also finished the race with both drivers in the points, after not being able to do so in Qatar or Argentina; it's a very good feeling. If we look at the results, Top six is our goal for Franco [Morbidelli] and it will be a boost for his motivation. With Fabio [Quartararo], our goal is the rookie of the year award, and he's now at the top of the standings, so it's a really good moment for us. Hopefully we can continue to look even higher up the pecking order and continue on this positive path at Jerez.”
Debriefing for AMV Insurance:
Standings for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin :
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
