On this Friday June 18, 2021, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Sachsenring circuit, at the end of the first day of the German Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver, still leader of the championship.
As usual, we report here the words of fabio quartararo without the slightest formatting, even if the first part (vouvoiement) is translated from English.
You fell this morning and held your shoulder. How are you ?
fabio quartararo : " More than the shoulder, it was my hand that I felt bruised, but that was just from the impact and it was OK. In FP2, I was really able to regain my feelings and everything went well. Yes, I was a little worried at the time but everything is fine »
Miguel Oliveira is in front again today. Do you think he could be a title contender?
« Yes, Miguel has made great progress! I think KTM has made big progress on the bike and Miguel is progressing very quickly. He hasn't really had a perfect start to the season, and fortunately because he's going super fast and is super strong. So we have to keep an eye on him for the rest of the championship. »
You worked a lot with worn tires in FP2 and your pace seems good. Are you satisfied?
« Yes. It was long ! My tires finished after 33 or 34 laps, I don't know, but it was really long. I haven't really compared it with all the other drivers but I feel pretty good with these tires. With 32 lap tires I was able to do 22.5. I feel pretty good and I feel like we can improve a little bit because the feeling on the bike wasn't great today, especially with the front. We have some ideas for tomorrow but we're not that far away, so I'm pretty happy with today. »
You joked yesterday that the MotoGP riders had to stop Marc Márquez from winning this time. After today, are you more optimistic or pessimistic about this idea?
« I'm not worried. I feel he is very strong but I feel the same: I remember he made my life very difficult in 2019 to get my first victory, of which I will try to do the same. But it sure seems like he's very fast and his pace looks good. We know he's super fast on this track. Yeah, no one will really want to say it, but I think everyone... You know, he's had a really tough time and I'll be happy if he gets a really good result, but I'll be for him but not happy for us ! So we have to try to manage to get a very good result here and try that he doesn't win. But I'm not here for that: I'm here to fight for victory and for the podium, so I don't have that on my mind at the moment. But it would be something good. »
With the Ducatis seeming to be struggling a bit, do you think this is a good opportunity for you?
« You know, before Mugello is Barcelona, everyone was saying the same thing: “Ducati is going to make a big comeback and catch up with you”. At Mugello and Barcelona, apart from Barcelona where they had bad luck, we were there, fighting for victory. And I think they will also fight for the podium here. Of course, there are tracks where the Yamahas feel a little better and others where the Ducatis are a little better, but I think this year it's more the rider who makes the difference. So I don't really think it's about motorcycles. Yes, it seems that Pecco suffered a lot today, but we have to stay focused on our side, because we didn't feel so good on the bike today. So I focus on myself and don't look at others. »
You're going to hate me but I have to come back to the question of your leather in Barcelona. What really happened, since you now have a new Velcro fastener?
« First of all, the leather worked well today because we did a double flap. If they did this new thing, it is to have more safety because they know, and I know, that I did everything perfectly before the start of the race: The chest protection was good, I closed the leather the right way, and it happened. So I think that's why we have an evolution of the flap to have double security. I think it's important, because I did everything perfectly in Barcelona. Here we have a double security which works well but we will have a new thing tomorrow. We'll see but don't worry, I'm not mad at you (laughs). »
Did you understand why you fell this morning?
« All day we didn't have a very good feeling going forward, especially with the soft. It's a tire that I didn't like at all on this circuit. I didn't really make a mistake but I didn't feel good, so there was a crash. »
You have a new throttle grip. Can you tell us about it?
« It's an electronic throttle. It's something we tested in Barcelona and it was exactly the same as before. This morning I didn't use it because I wanted to have the same thing as before. It’s something that we’re going to analyze to know if we’re going to use it or not. »
You drove a McLaren. And what was good about it?
« Yes, that’s something I loved! I'm not used to doing this but it allows you to see the power on four wheels in a different way, and I have to do it again! »
Like Valentino Rossi, do you see people in the street wearing your number 20 or your helmet?
« I got some news today: My Replica helmets sold out in one day in a certain market, so I think that means we're on the right track. I have an image that is quite good and I hope to continue in this direction to have more and more fans with number 20 and sell more and more products. Here in Germany there is no public, but this morning I still saw someone with the flag and with the T-shirt. I've already seen people on the street with my clothing line, so that's nice. Of course, Valentino has a monopoly on that and on all the circuits, whether you are in Spain or Italy, you can see very clearly that there is only yellow, but I hope to get there little by little. little. »
Standings for FP2 of the MotoGP German Grand Prix at Sachsenring:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
