Fabio Quartararo met the press this Thursday in Petronas hospitality, as a prelude to the Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, on a circuit in Misano where the French driver obtained the 1st time after the test carried out there two weeks ago.
As usual, we report here the raw words of fabio quartararo, without the slightest journalistic interpretation.
Once again, you were the fastest on the test. Was this important to you?
fabio quartararo : “It matters a lot to me because, above all, when you have a bad result like in Jerez, your objective is to come back for the test on Monday. And after the crash at Silverstone, I wasn't worried about the sensations but I really wanted to get back on the bike as quickly as possible. So it's good to have had a test right before the race, and of course I really wanted to be first. We tried some good settings on the bike to be completely ready for the race. »
Did you only have adjustments, no new parts?
" No ! We don't have any new parts, and certainly we always want new things, but before a race it's good to really focus on the main work, the bike settings, the tires, the electronic, to be ready for the race. And in the end, we did a lot of this work two weeks ago. »
Is the grip on this track horrible?
“Yes, it was horrible but while some corners were good, others not so much, and one corner was a total disaster: turn 14. I think a lot of drivers crashed in that corner. I heard that when Marc fell, it was because the white line had just been painted, but as soon as you want to angle into this corner, you fall. I had a lot of heat in this corner and we will see if it improved during this weekend, but during the test it was a really critical place in driving. »
Do you consider yourself one of the favorites after the test?
“Mmmmm… It's too easy to say that, because in my opinion, a lot of riders didn't really show their true potential because most of the riders tested the 2020 bikes. So they weren't really very focused on race paces or working for the race, but much more for next year. So if you look at the test, it's good that we are one of the fastest, but it will be different for the Grand Prix. »
Do you feel pressure now that people expect you to be in the front positions and fight for the podium almost every race?
" No ! For us, it's not pressure. For me, I know my real goals at the moment, and I know that everything is going better than expected. It's a plus for us but we are here to be rookie of the year, and our goal is to try to be in the top 6. It's the same thing I've been saying since the beginning of the year : if we are in a position to fight for the podium, we will, and if we can fight for victory, we will! »
Unlike Franco Morbidelli, you will not participate in the 8 Hours of Sepang. For what ?
“We studied this option but in the end we prefer not to do the 8 hours. But I'm sure they will do a fantastic job. Of course, after the season I don't want to take the risk of getting injured. It’s very important to me and I really want to prepare well for the 2020 season.”
We are here on Valentino Rossi land. Is it important to fight with him?
“For me, every time I drive with him on the track, it's a pleasure and it's something really special because he's my idol. In Austria he was right behind me, in fourth position, and I really tried to create a gap. Finally, I was able to do it but it's always a pleasure to be in front of him, even if it's very difficult. But above all, it's a dream to drive with him. »
Mainly, did you take the test for the race?
“Mostly, yes. We tried a lot of things on the settings, on the electronics, on the tires, so it was something very interesting for us and to have already done more than 150 laps on this track. »
So you're ahead of the others?
“No, because they did it too. I don't think they all worked on next year's bike. We saw that Marc had four bikes in the boxes and I think he also had to work on the race pace and the settings of his bike for this race. So I think we're not the only ones who have worked on this. »
