Spanish Grand Prix, Jerez, MotoGP, J3, Debriefing Fabio Quartararo: “both disappointed and happy!” »

fabio quartararo leaves Jerez with a retirement, but he leaves the Spanish Grand Prix much bigger than he entered. The Frenchman has more than confirmed his astonishing start to the season. He won his first pole position in MotoGP, in his fourth meeting at this highest level of motorcycle competition. He then stood up to the best drivers in the discipline and ensured at least a second place by keeping the leader under pressure. Marc Márquez before his gear selector forces him to stop his festival there...

The Frenchman fell from his cloud due to a technical problem. He has no fault to reproach himself for. Bad luck that would destroy more than one, but fabio quartararo, at the age of 20, is already a strong guy: “ You could say I'm both disappointed and happy. The race was very good. I felt really good with the bike and it was great to ride with the best. That was until we had a small mechanical problem with the gear selector. It's something very small, but with big consequences, because it forced us to abandon the race, but like in Qatar, we will leave all the negatives here and bring the positives home” said Fabio Quartararo. “When I saw I couldn't shift gears, I knew it was over. I was stuck in 3rd gear. So I entered the pit lane. There was nothing else to do.”

“The whole race, I saw Márquez right in front. This gives me good confidence. I did not expect this. Like the pole yesterday, I didn't expect it. So I think we did a fantastic job and it's no coincidence that we were in the race because we were almost at the top during free practice and I felt really good on the bike, with all the team. It wasn't really difficult to keep the pace, as I was racing well, but unfortunately I had a problem. In the end, it's an experience. I need to learn the bad things and the good things, and today I think we missed a top five.”

“I think we could fight for the podium”, he finally admitted. “The pace I had in the race was incredible because I found something, with these top guys, that made me gain two tenths faster than in practice. In the first rounds I learned a lot. I acted like I had more experience than my fourth race. A few mapping changes were made, as the tire pressure was too high, so I managed to cool it down. So we gained a lot of experience. I think I would have tried to stay in second position rather than pushing really hard to try to catch up with Márquez, who was already too far away. But it was perfect for getting a reference, like for example not having too high pressure in the front tire, and I made good times. Also, behind, I think I had a 1,5 second advantage so it’s good that we were able to manage.”

“Of course I was really disappointed because we could fight for a very good position”, did he declare. « But when you look at the pace I had, the weekend we had, I must be happy. Unfortunately, no podiums, no top 5, no points, but the experience we are gaining is great.”

« Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the work we accomplished this weekend and that we will continue in the same way in the next races. The whole team did an exceptional job, but in this sport there are things you can't control. As in Qatar, we will remember the positives, there were many in this Grand Prix. Before the season started, none of us expected to challenge for the podium and get pole position in the fourth race of the year. We must therefore be satisfied with the work accomplished. I'm looking forward to the next race, my only home Grand Prix. I hope I can do my best there. It will definitely be difficult. Lots of fans, lots of people. But I'm ready to go because it's a track where the Yamaha seems to be doing well and I'm looking forward to testing here tomorrow.”

See you now at the French Grand Prix with, hopefully, a little less bad luck for the youngest on the field…

Razlan Razali, Team Principal: “Our fairy tale ended today, but it was still a happy ending. Our drivers have shown that they have the pace to be competitive. This is the first time that both drivers have been in the lead and we must not forget that this is only the team's fourth race. Unfortunately, races can be very tough, and that's what happened to Fabio [Quartararo] with the mechanical problem.

“Franco [Morbidelli] was the best driver from an independent team today. Our goal is always to be the best independent team, so that's a goal we've achieved. I know that Franco aims higher and is certainly capable of achieving even better results. Of course, after seeing what our drivers did this weekend, we want even more. But we have to progress step by step, and the riders and the team will learn together. We did a very good job at this GP and we have great potential. We are looking forward to Le Mans, which is also Fabio’s home race…”.

Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Managers: “The final result of the Spanish GP was a bit like in Qatar: Everything was going almost too well. This proves that it is a sport where the mechanical side is crucial. You can do a great job and ultimately a problem can leave you with a zero in front of your name. There is no one to blame because the whole team did a great job and Fabio [Quartararo] showed throughout the weekend that he is always learning and growing. These are things that happen ".

“He and Franco [Morbidelli] both had good pace at the start of the race. Franco struggled to maintain this feeling in the ten laps after the halfway point. He started losing half a second per lap and that caused him to lose positions. Ultimately, he focused on not giving up his seventh-place finish and being the best driver on an independent team. He fought for it and got it, which is another positive. Generally speaking, we can be proud of what we have done.”

 

Spanish Grand Prix Jerez MotoGP J3: classification

Classification credit: MotoGP.com