This Thursday March 31, 2022, Fabio Quartararo answered journalists' questions from the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit ahead of the Argentine Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver who occupies 3rd place in the championship.
As usual, we report here the words of Fabio Quartararo without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).
What is your reaction to the postponement of Friday sessions due to missing equipment?
fabio quartararo : " Personally I have everything, so we can start (laughs). No, it's a shame and we're really keeping our fingers crossed that it happens tomorrow. But overall, it will be a challenge, especially for the mechanics because they will have a lot of work. Saturday will be a long day but I think it will be good for television to have everything in a row, and then we'll see if it's good for us or not, but at least we'll have everything in the same day and it won't will only miss one session. »
In Indonesia, you took pole position in the dry and then finished second in the wet. How important was this result after a difficult weekend in Qatar?
« That was super important because when we got to Mandalika they had changed the surface, they had changed the rear tire, so overall we knew we were fast on that track but you never know what to expect with all those changes. We were fast in the dry and the pace was good, but as soon as it started raining before the race you never knew what to expect because we had never been fast. Overall the grip was crazy at Mandalika and it took me a while to realize I could be really fast. But let's hope that we find something on the bike because there was nothing strange at Mandalika: even when there was no grip the bike was generally the same at Mandalika. So we were lucky that this track was very grippy but we need to find a solution for tracks that offer less grip. »
What do you expect in Argentina after a difficult Qatar and a surprising Indonesia?
« Last year in Qatar we always had three days of testing and we had the race a week or two later, so the track was always already more or less clean. This year, in Qatar, there was no test. Here, we've never really tested it. The first time I rode MotoGP in 2019 and I wasn't too bad. Looking at the data this morning, I was riding in a completely different way, so it's difficult to know what to expect, but at the moment I just want to give my best and see what result is possible. But what is certain is that I will do my best to be as close as possible to the leading boys. »
In four years, you went from 28th place on the Moto2 grid here in 2018 to the title of MotoGP world champion. How do you view this journey?
« To be honest, it's a dream, because when you always have a good time, you feel not that it's normal, but when I think back to four years ago and I was very far away in 28th place , you never know if you will reach MotoGP or not. From that moment until now, I think this race was the worst of my career, one of the hardest, but it was the one that really changed me, so I would say that it is now a good memory because I can laugh about it. »
Do you think a two-day weekend would be a good thing since there are more and more Grands Prix?
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In the end, it's always the same thing: if your bike runs well straight away, you may even only have one day (Laughs), but if you have difficulties on Friday, you have the night and the morning to think it. It's difficult to say but it will be a good experience to do a test with two days, because if we have many more Grands Prix it will become more difficult. From my point of view, I love racing the world, but it's harder for the mechanics and their families. But it will be a very good experience to have only two days. »
You said that in Qatar there was no grip and that was not a good thing for you, then that in Mandalika there was a lot of grip and that was a good thing for YOU. Here there is potentially little grip. How do you prepare for this and change your riding style to adapt?
« (Laughs) how to prepare? I don't know. Honestly, this is a situation where there's not much I can do. We can always try to improve the rear grip of the bike but the track grip is something very important. The operating range of our bike is really narrow: when we have a lot of grip the bike runs perfectly well and you feel like you can do whatever you want on the bike, but as soon as you have low grip it seems like 'we have to attack a lot more for… less. I tried lots and lots of things in Qatar but you have to have a bit of luck. It depends on which corner, which track, whether you yourself can adapt quickly or not, but I can't prepare for that. »
We saw the new chicane at the Red Bull Ring. What do you think ?
« For safety, it's definitely much better because you always get a little hot in turn #2, and it's not great to get hot in this turn. So above all in terms of safety, it will be better, and whatever chicane they can put in a straight line, from my side it's great (laughs)! So if we could also have one here, that would be good (Laughs): wherever the straight is longer than 800 m, we need a chicane because we arrive at the bend much too quickly (Laughs). »
Between Indonesia two weeks ago and Argentina today, how do you manage the time difference?
« Overall, I don't adapt. I wake up at five in the morning and I've tried everything, like melatonin. Cal (Crutchlow) also gave me one of his tablets a year and a half ago, and it was a big tablet, way too big! In the end, I wake up at five in the morning and last all day, but my waking times are not the best. »
Cal tablets could perhaps make riding a MotoGP dangerous (laughs)…
“Yes, when you see penguins climbing onto your bed, it’s not good (laughs)! »
Do you think that a two-day weekend benefits one of the manufacturers, such as the one with the most data?
« I do not think so ! It depends on a lot of things, like overall track grip, but I don't think a manufacturer has an advantage in having more data. The last three or four years, all the manufacturers were there, so I think in the end everyone starts from the same place.
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