Quite unusual this year, we saw Fabio Quartararo get angry during FP2, after an FP1 where he only appeared in 13th position.
However, this evening, the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider is the one who, for only 7 thousandths, has entered his name on the first line of the provisional ranking, an intangible sign that he is still very competitive in a hierarchy where no less than 13 riders are held in 8 tenths.
The young man from Nice thus proved in Brno that it is no coincidence that he is the current leader of the MotoGP world championship and appeared completely calm in front of the journalists in order to answer their questions.
As usual, we report here the words of Fabio Quartararo, without the slightest formatting.
fabio quartararo : " My work today was a bit difficult. We know we are fast over a single lap, but achieving a good race pace here proved much more difficult. Now we have to work hard to find a solution, because at the moment I am not very happy with my situation. It is important to stay focused. Franco was the fastest today in terms of race pace, but we are not far behind. It's very important. It's positive that we are really competitive in the timed lap. I didn't expect to be able to run a 1'56.502. That's why I'm happy with this lap, but we have to work even more on race pace. »
What was the main problem?
« The first thing I said to my team when I returned to the pit, after of course having calmed down a little, was that I felt good on the bike but the consistency of the tires was very poor. It's very important to feel good on the bike, because then you know where the problem is. This is positive because sometimes you can get a little lost. But I know what the problem is, so we get straight to it. »
Is this the traditional problem of Yamahas which suffer from a lack of traction when grip is low?
« As you say, when we don't have a lot of grip on the tarmac, it's a problem for us. We know that with the Ducatis, we can overcome them and set the time thanks to the power, but for us, it is much more difficult. When there is grip, we win because we can enter the corners quickly and we don't suffer from skating. But right now we have a lot of skating. I was a bit surprised because with the new Michelin tires it has been much better, but as I said, we will continue to work and try to find a solution, because it is a bit strange. We know that with the conditions it will get better and better because it rained very hard before we arrived here and the track was therefore not in good condition. So we're going to work on that and we're already thinking about solutions with the team. »
We saw your team working a lot on the rear of the bike. Have you tried the system to vary its height?
« In fact, I don't even know what it is. »
The holeshot device…
« Ah! Honestly, I tried it but it's too difficult, because it's not the same system as the Ducati. But honestly, I try it and every time I go out I'm like, "Okay, at least try one trick." But it's really, really hard to use at the perfect time you need to use it. So for the moment, I only use it for departures. »
Did you have a little heat in FP2?
« Oh yeah, I lost the front, then made up for it with the rear, so that was a bit strange. So yes, I got a little heat crossing the front then the rear widened. You know, when you make a change, you know from the first go whether it's good or not, but it's hard to admit. But I tried very hard to find out exactly where the negative point was. »
The Ducatis appear a little disappointing. Are you surprised by this or is it because it's only the first day?
« Both ! I'm surprised, but it's only the first day, so it doesn't really matter. We all know that we change quite a few things to adapt to a track that is quite different from Jerez. Honestly, the Ducatis are always very fast here and Dovi always tries a lot of things on the bike, so for sure they will be there tomorrow in FP3 and FP4, and he will be there for the race. Petrucci and Jack will be there too. I would also like to wish a good recovery to Pecco who fell this morning. But of course the Ducati riders will be there on Sunday. »
Did you have a mapping problem?
« Hmmm… Maybe not a problem but maybe I didn't use it the correct way. But that wasn't a problem. We never really had any problems with the mapping. In my opinion, the first time the rear tire reacted, I was a little strange on the mapping. So maybe it wasn't a problem but maybe it was more that I didn't use it at the correct time. More than a problem, it was my fault. »
Does the absence of an audience, sponsors and journalists take some pressure off you?
« No ! Honestly, when I'm in the paddock I always listen to music, and even when the fans are there taking pictures it's always nice but I've learned from the past that when someone says to you "you you have to win the race, you have to win the championship,” it goes in one ear and out the other. I know exactly my goals and our potential, and we talk about it with the team, about what we are capable of doing. I learned that no one should tell you what to do except my team. It's good to be Petronas for the second year because they know how we work. I like this kind of motivation because no one says “you must not fall” or “you must win”. This is something very positive in our team. »
One of your strong points is braking, thanks to the rear. Can you tell us a little more?
« I brake more with my finger (laughs)! No, braking has always been one of my strong points. From Moto3 to MotoGP, I have always had this strong point. Early last year I had a problem adapting to the carbon discs, but once you adapt to them it's much better. So now I have good confidence to brake hard on the front tire, but here it's the first time we're missing a bit of contact with the rear of the bike. It doesn't lift, but let's say it floats a little on the track while there are some hard braking or sloping places where you would like to brake harder but the bike is not very stable. We are lacking a little in this area at this track but it was already the same last year, so it does not come from this year's bike. It's almost normal on this track. »
Do you have a technique for trying to load the rear more?
« No. When we compare the data with Maverick and with the others, there are some small differences but honestly I brake the same way as them. »
You lose 9 km/h in top speed compared to the Ducati, but perhaps even more importantly, probably also in acceleration. What is your feeling on this?
« We know this is our weak point and that acceleration is not our best point, but we have to adapt. We tell the team what is positive and where we are struggling more. We know the positive, our bike runs very well, even if honestly we lack a little grip to really get the full benefit from it, and we know that the climbs, the long straights accelerating from second to fifth, this is not our best. So we have to adapt and we know it, but after these three races some very positive circuits come for us. »
MotoGP Czech Republic Grand Prix FP1/FP2 standings:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com