fabio quartararo is one of four rookies who will discover MotoGP this year. But the Frenchman has the particularity of not being 20 years old yet. He will pass this milestone in April. Which makes him the second youngest driver in history to compete among the elite. Potentially he is the one who can beat Marc Márquez as the youngest winner of a Grand Prix... But let's be reasonable. Still, the Petronas Yamaha rider does not want us to focus on his marital status. Like a certain World Champion as precocious as him…
fabio quartararo arrives in MotoGP before his twentieth birthday. He is therefore the youngest newcomer since the Italian Michelle Fabrizio in 2004 on a WCM. According to statistics, Quarterly is the second youngest MotoGP rider after John Hopkins, which started in 2002, at the age of 18.
« I don't think it's too soon" , said Quarterly, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary on April 20. “ It's true that we talked about the possible arrival in MotoGP halfway through last season, it was at Assen. » Two weeks earlier, he had snatched his first Moto2 victory in Barcelona. “ My manager said we had a chance for MotoGP and we should try, that I should think about it."
« But I had thought enough and wanted to do it, especially since Moto2 is a new class with the new engine this year, so I told myself I shouldn't miss this opportunity with Yamaha" , said Quarterly. " You can gain a lot of experience in MotoGP, the sooner you get there the better."
Quarterly spent only four years in Grand Prix. After two years in Moto3, he did two seasons in Moto2. A victory is his best result. There could have been a second in Japan, but he was then disqualified because the tire pressure was too low. Joan mir also managed after only four years to join the elite. He is “already” 21 years old. But he is also a Moto3 World Champion.
To Quarterly, its situation is comparable to that of Kylian Mbappe. The 20-year-old footballer was present when France became World Cup champions last year. “ It's true that I saw an interview with Kylian in which he said that he didn't have to talk about his age, and I think it's the same with me" , said Quarterly on motorsport total. " To be part of MotoGP you have to prove that you have potential and can fight at the top, as I showed in Moto2."
Quarterly finished testing in Malaysia, in 16th position, and his goal for the first race in Qatar is to score points. “ It would be good if we continued to work this way. It is possible that we have already reached a good racing pace. I am satisfied. It will be difficult, but I need to gain more experience and progress."
Instead of the previous year's Yamaha, Quarterly is offered a current version, but its evolution will not be the same than that of Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales. " It’s still a B-Spec bike, I don’t know it well yet, and things are different from the factory bikes,” explains the Frenchman. “The Yamaha is a relatively simple bike for a beginner, but I can't compare it with my previous bikes. »
« In Valencia and Jerez I had the 2018 machine. But I don't have enough experience to see a difference with the 2019 one. However, we tested some parts and I could give the same feedback as the riders from 'factory. I will start to see the effects of the changes on the bike"
From Saturday to Monday at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, the last winter test will take place before the start of the season which will be launched on the same track.
