The 2021 MotoGP world champion, Fabio Quartararo, is going through a difficult season. On his Yamaha YZR-M1, he struggles to rediscover the sensations that propelled him to the top. The French rider expressed his expectations for the second half of the season and spoke about the future of the Yamaha team.
At the Silverstone press conference, Fabio Quartararo admitted his impatience to see improvements on his bike: “ I hope it’s better than the first half of this season! » Indeed, the Yamaha suffers from handling problems which severely penalize drivers. “ Maneuverability was our strength in the past, it is now our weakness“, he regretted.
The Japanese team is working hard to find solutions. New developments have been made to the motorcycle, particularly in terms of the engine. Quarterly hopes that these modifications will help regain some of the lost maneuverability: “ the new specification would help us in terms of maneuverability so that we can regain the advantages we had in 2020 and 2021."
However, he remains wary: “ until we have tested all the innovations on the track, we cannot estimate how well our package works. We have often had disappointed expectations. That's why I want to wait and see. On Friday we may be able to estimate for the first time how much good we can do ».
Fabio Quartararo: “ we might lose something on the straights, but we would be much faster on the corners »
The Frenchman adds on this subject: “ the goal is for us to move directly into Q2 on Friday. If we can't do this, it's because the improvements haven't been enough! It always happens that it is necessary sacrifice something in one area to gain something in another. And we will definitely have to make sacrifices to improve the handling of our motorcycle. But we still need to determine how big this project will really be. ».
Then fabio quartararo makes this mention: “ the new engine specification would help us in terms of handling so that we can regain the advantages that we had in 2020 and 2021. It would be like a few years ago. We might lose something on the straights, but we would be much faster in the corners. I think the engine will be a big help ».
It is still unclear when the new engine will be used. It might take until the race weekend in Japan, but Quarterly doesn’t want to wait that long: “ I push the team to be able to use the new specifications more quickly, because the race in Japan is still far away. If I get my way, we'll use them tomorrow ».
Regarding the future, Quarterly welcomes the confirmation ofAlex Rins as a teammate: “ I think that It's awesome. Alex has already done a good job this year! » The two pilots will thus be able to work together to advance the Yamaha .
Asked about the young Italian from Moto2, Tony Arbolino, Fabio Quartararo highlighted his potential: “ in my opinion he is ready. He went through a phase in which he reached the podium ten times in a row. » According to the Frenchman, the current difficulties ofArbolino are not an obstacle to his arrival in MotoGP.
fabio quartararo and the team Yamaha are going through a delicate period. However, the French pilot remains determined to return to the top and bring back Yamaha in the foreground. The next races will be crucial for the evolution of the Japanese team's MotoGP project.
