This Thursday August 18, 2022, fabio quartararo answered journalists' questions from the Red Bull Ring circuit ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
The reigning MotoGP Champion and current leader was the big favorite for the title before the summer break but must now resist the rise ofAleix Espargaró et Francis Bagnaia on circuits that are not very suitable for the Yamaha…
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).
First of all, what influence do you think the new chicane will have?
fabio quartararo
: " I haven't seen the chicane in real life yet, but for sure I think that, for our bike, it's not going to be a bad thing to cut the speed a little compared to the other bikes. I think if you don't lose the front when going into the right, it will be much better for safety, and I think it will be better for the performance of our bike. »
This track is not particularly known to be favorable to Yamahas but you have already finished third there. How are you approaching this challenge this year?
« I feel pretty good here, especially in the second race last year: we finished seventh but until it rained we fought hard for the podium and the victory. So we have the speed, but we just know what is critical for us during the race. But I feel like in terms of pace it's not really a bad track for us, but for overtaking and all those things it makes the job a little bit harder for us. But I wouldn't really say it's a bad track for us, and with the chicane I think it will be a little better. »
At Silverstone you said that no one could really understand how hard you had to push on the bike this year. Do you think anything will happen this year to help you a little?
« Of course, I'm pushing Yamaha a lot to bring something, but there's really nothing more. But of course I'm learning a lot as a driver and I think I've improved from the beginning of the year until now. I think I've taken a big step forward and I hope I can take another step forward by the end of the championship. »
Marc Márquez has just said that one of the things he wanted to change was the way the Honda team operated to perhaps be a little more European. Do you think Yamaha should do the same?
« I think so, because I think we're playing way too far from the rules and I think we're being a little too careful. So I think we have to play a little bit sometimes. For next year's bike I think it's already changing a bit, just like a new engineer comes to Yamaha, so I think it's changing a bit, but maybe still a bit too slowly. But at least I see that he takes on a bit of the European mentality, particularly Italian (laughs). I think that's the way to really try a lot of things. Maybe sometimes they think it's not useful but we have to try whatever they have in mind to give it a chance. »
The two drivers with whom you have fought the most in recent years are undoubtedly Marc Márquez and Francesco Bagnaia. Can you describe them to us in those moments?
« (Laughs) It’s hard! Until now, I haven't really won one of the two real fights I had with Marc, in Misano and in Thailand. And when you do the whole race right in front of him and you see it's him on the bike, it's pretty difficult. And with Pecco, we never really had a fight for a race. We had a long fight for the championship and of course he is very strong. In this room and in the championship there are the best drivers in the world, so it is difficult to finish ahead of any driver here.
»
You are friends with Aleix Espargaró and you are fighting with him for the title: will these good relations continue throughout the championship?
« I don't think there's any reason for that to change. Maybe outside of the races we will organize a fight (laughs), but when we race there is a lot of respect: he wants to win, I want to win, everyone here wants to win, so I think that nothing changes but we have a clear objective which is to win. Victory is the most important thing, but our relationships outside of the competition remain the same and that will not change. »
