On this Saturday, June 26, 2021, fabio quartararo answered journalists' questions from the TT Circuit Assen, at the end of the second day of the Dutch Grand Prix, at the end of which the Yamaha rider finished 2nd.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French driver, currently leader of the championship with now 22 points ahead of Johann zarco.
As usual, we report here the words of fabio quartararo without the slightest formatting, even if the first part (vouvoiement) is translated from English.
Fabio, another front row start, which is always important for the championship. You fought with Maverick Viñales for pole position but you had a little heat. Tell us…
fabio quartararo : " Yes, on the last lap I pushed the limit a little too far. At turn 10, I lost the rear a little. It was a small mistake and I lost 2 and a half tenths there. But it's like this: In qualifying, you put yourself at the limit. Generally speaking, I didn't have a very good feeling with the soft tire this weekend, but in FP4, with the medium rear tire, I felt really good, and also with the hard. So I feel good about the pace, and I feel comfortable. In the first run with the medium I took too much care of the rear tire and I think its potential is a little higher, but the hard works very well too. So it will depend on the warm up but I have the impression that we can race with both tires. »
It seems like you and Maverick have an advantage over the rest of the board. Do you share this impression?
« Yes, it's true that we have a very good pace, but I had the same thing in Barcelona: I had a fantastic pace but in the end it didn't go as we had planned. So I think pace is very important but for me a clear race is Johann (Zarco) in Barcelona: He had no pace during the weekend and he was close to winning, so I think pace n It's not that important. I think it's important to get a feel for the bike for a lot of laps, then anything can happen during the race. »
Do you feel concerned about the LGBT movements and have you talked about it among yourselves?
« I won't answer because I don't want to say anything bad, so I prefer to remain neutral. »
You will start behind Maverick Viñales and your main championship opponents will start behind you: What risks are you willing to take for victory?
« It will depend. I think we have to be smart with Maverick, because it's true that on paper we have very good pace. So in my opinion, if we have to play together, it would be very good to be smart during the first rounds and then see the end. But it will depend! I mean… I feel very good for the victory and it's not because my main opponents are behind me that I shouldn't be careful. For me, it's only the beginning of the championship and we're not even halfway there yet, so if I have a chance to fight for victory, I'll take it. If I see that I'm too close to the limit, I'm not stupid so I won't make a mistake, or I'll try not to make a mistake. So it will depend on the situation but, right now, I feel like I can fight for it. »
It's the last race before the summer break and the two races in Austria on a circuit which is not very favorable to the Yamaha. Is this all the more important?
« To be honest, Austria is a circuit where it was a disaster for us last year, but I think it's more because of all the problems we had last year and that we are experiencing. The electronics handicapped us and we had to use it with a lot more brake. We saw Maverick in Austria 2 and I also went straight to Austria 1. But for me, the bike has improved a lot in braking, our holeshot device works better and we no longer have problems with the electronics. So I think Austria is not a bad circuit for us. If we consider that the bike will remain the same, I think it will be OK. Of course, we lack top speed but in 2019 I was able to fight for the podium, and if I'm not mistaken, Maverick and Vale finished fourth and fifth. So it's not a bad circuit for us, just difficult, not the easiest. Here I will do my best, even if I make a mistake or something else. The championship is still very open, so of course I want to increase my advantage in the championship but I think this is not the right way to approach the championship. I just want to enjoy the race tomorrow because it's a fantastic circuit and enjoy the 26 laps. »
What will be the biggest problem for the Yamahas tomorrow: The tires, the Ducatis or the KTM of Miguel Oliveira?
« Looking at past races, not just the last one, Pecco is always good when it comes to tires, so I think he will be there. I also think the Suzuki boys will be there and Miguel is always very strong on Sundays. It is difficult to know the main opponent, because everything is very equivalent. So we'll see and I hope there won't be many drivers. »
Do you look at Maverick's data and understand why he's not fast when the grip is low?
« (Sigh) No! It is true that in some areas we suffer if we do not have grip. For me, the situation was very strange at Sachsenring because at the start of the race, at turn seven, we were suffering a lot. I don't know why because normally with grip we turn very well, but when I didn't have grip the bike turned better in this corner. So for me, it's difficult to analyze with the Sachsenring because it's a track that was very strange for us. But generally speaking, I can't say that I encountered many problems this year. I try to manage in the best way possible and I don't control Maverick's (data) when he struggles. I look at where he is faster than me to try to improve myself. So I do not know. »
Ranking Qualification 2 of Grand Prix MotoGP from the Netherlands to TT Assen:
Ranking Qualification 1 of Grand Prix MotoGP from the Netherlands to TT Assen:
Credit rankings and photos: MotoGP.com
