This evening, during his formalization within the SIC Petronas MotoGP team at Silverstone, Fabio Quartararo had his baptism of fire by throwing himself into the deep end of a very official press conference under the gaze of the relevant governing bodies.
Questioned in English, the young Frenchman, who will celebrate his 20th birthday next year, did very well by answering journalists' questions in the language of Shakespeare.
Your situation was impossible to imagine at the start of 2018, then you had two very good races and you had this incredible opportunity offered to you…
fabio quartararo : “yes, of course it’s a great opportunity. I want to thank everyone who made this happen, Petronas, SIC, Yamaha, and everyone who made this possible. I'm very happy and it's definitely a great opportunity for me to take the step into MotoGP. I know it's very different and I have a lot to learn. I will do my best to be as forward as possible.”
Knowing that your future will take place in a very good team, has that had a positive impact on your performances this year?
“Yes, of course, as we started to think about my future, I was very excited but also very nervous (laughs). I didn't say it but it was a strange feeling. Now I obviously know what my plans are for next year and it’s much easier to drive when you know your future.”
When did you start discussing getting this spot in 2019? And also, were you surprised that you received interest from such a team without fighting for the championship this year?
“We started talking after my two good races in Barcelona and Assen. Yes, I was surprised, but you know, since Qatar we have had many changes on the bike and in the team. We work a lot and the results have not been there but we have the speed to be very fast. We are progressing with each race and the good results have arrived. I felt very strong in Barcelona and Assen, and even in the last 3 races the results weren't there but the pace was like that of the top 5 drivers. So yes, we will continue to work a lot to finish this season by trying to be more among the leading drivers.”
What he did, on this Friday...
Photo credits: MotoGP.com
