On this Sunday, October 18, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Motorland Aragón circuit at the end of the Aragón Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French pilot.
As usual, we report here the words of fabio quartararo without the slightest formatting, even if the first part is translated from English (vouvoiement).
fabio quartararo : " We struggled a lot! We were in good shape to fight for a very good result but the front tire pressure became totally out of control, completely abnormal. We need to know why. It's very strange. We had the pace, maybe not to make the podium but to make a top 5 or top 6, which would have been very good. But like I said the front tire went out of control and we don't know why. This is something we need to see and try to resolve for the next race. »
You have chosen the medium. Was it the right choice? Does your front tire problem explain why you had to widen the corners so much, or is it due to the characteristics of the Yamaha?
« For me the choice was correct because the first three rounds were perfect. I had a very good feeling and everything was OK. But the problem was that from the third round I already had much greater pressure than normal. And you can imagine what it feels like after 20 laps, when it already happens after three laps: You can imagine how high the pressure was in the middle of the race! I can't say abnormal but it was totally out of control and we have never had these conditions. Everything was very sensitive and I couldn't cool the brakes, I couldn't turn, I couldn't tilt the bike, and that's the reason why I was going so wide and I couldn't stop the bike. »
Did you have any physical problems during the race?
« Physically, I'm OK. I didn't have any problems on the bike. »
Dovizioso has just said that it will be very hard to contain the Suzukis in the final races of the championship. Do you agree ?
« Yes, it looks like the Suzukis are very fast, but I think we can fight with them. Maybe now it's difficult, but we will arrive at tracks like Valencia where normally we are fast. During the November tests, with the new tires that were there, we were very fast. But yes, we have to be very smart and the next race will be very important because we must not lose a lot of points there, or even try to gain points there, which would be very important. But I think we can fight with her. In the end, it's only six points at the moment and we can fight for a very good result. »
What is the plan for the next few days, and what have you learned during this race?
« It's one of the only races where I didn't learn anything, because it wasn't something about my riding, but about the bike. It was a technical problem that prevented me from going fast. Normally I don't like to blame something on the bike but today it was something undriveable and it didn't give normal conditions. So yes, very strange. But in the end we will try to resolve the problem for the next weekend, and for me the problem was only with the front tire pressure. Of course, we will try to find improvements because of course everyone will improve next weekend, and what we want to improve is the consistency of the (rear) tire, and having normal pressure at the front. »
Do you think there was too much pressure from the start, or did the tire get too hot, or was it a defective tire?
« Before the start, everything was OK and the first three laps were OK. I rode 48.6, 48.5, and I had never done that during the weekend, and the feeling with the front tire was even better than with the soft. The problem is that I had a lot of pressure in the front tire from the third lap, and we don't know why we had so much pressure. Normally we can have a little, but not that much! This was not normal and we never had this last year. So it's hard to understand and now we have to look at this. For sure, we need to look and find out exactly what the problem was. »
What do the Suzukis have better than the Yamahas on this circuit?
« I think it's not just the Suzukis. For me, the driver who impressed me a lot is Álex (Márquez). When you make a podium, you always gain confidence to go faster, and Álex got his (first) podium in the wet, but everything he did in that race was a big step forward, and I didn't expect so much. Of course, I expected improvements, but a step forward like that, I think I didn't see that this year or last year! »
« For me the Suzukis are much better when it comes to rear tire consistency. We have a little extra in the first laps and we can do good laps in qualifying, but Álex Rins was very fast today and he won. If they find grip at the start, during the first laps, they are very fast and that's why they get these kinds of results: Podium, podium, podium, podium. It seems that they are in a very good period. »
Is it due to the layout of the circuit which has special characteristics?
« I don't think so because if they were fast over a lap it would be OK, but I think it's just the consistency of the tire which is much better and they have a bit more speed than us. But I think in general it's the consistency of the rear tire that makes them so fast and consistent. »
Regarding the championship, is it a bonus for you that boys like Joan Mir and Andrea Dovizioso didn't win a race against you?
« Of course, I am very happy that Rins won today and that Petrucci won at Le Mans, but in the end what is really important is our own results. Today was a disaster, and I'm sad to say, it could have been even worse! If Mir had won, Maverick second, Dovi third… In our negative, we have to think about the little positive things, and the positive of today is that both Álexes finished in front of Joan. But in the end, the pressure is not really on me: I was leading the championship but the team was created last year, it's my second year and I'm not in a Factory team. In the end, the pressure is on the factory drivers! So I feel good and it's just a difficult race with a technical problem, but I'm OK. It could have been worse today. »
Could the fact that a Michelin technician was absent this weekend due to the virus have affected you?
« No ! No, because in the end we got another one and it was clear to me that we had to go medium. And we had normal pressure. So it didn't affect me over the weekend. »
Aragón MotoGP Grand Prix standings:
Credit and ranking: MotoGP.com
