Fabio Quartararo is 2022 MotoGP runner-up and here is the analysis of a difficult season drawn up by his chief engineer Diego Gubellini.
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fabio quartararo returns home as runner-up in the MotoGP category, with low morale after losing the title to Pecco Bagnaia. Yamaha is trying to revive him by offering him the M1 2021 with which he won the world title, first presented in Eicma, then it will be sent to Andorra. This will not be enough to console the French, among other things disappointed by the performance of the engine during the Valencia test. The chief engineer Diego Gubellini takes stock of the end of the season, analyzing the pros and cons of a two-faced year.
Until the summer break, fabio quartararo seemed to have already folded the world championship, but the rival of Ducati was able to recover 91 points and move up the rankings. The Iwata manufacturer admitted some errors in the development phase, forced to revert to the 2021 engine specification on the eve of the championship, due to the lack of reliability of the 2022 version. We improved several aspects but it was probably not enough - explain Gubellini at the end of the MotoGP World Championship. “ We know the limitations and strengths of the bike, we try to do our best to get the most out of it. The M1 has improved in corners, Valencia was not one of our favorite tracks, but there is no longer a path that does not put us in difficulty ».
In reality, Fabio did not lose the title in Cheste, but it was a long but unstoppable process that began to Assen, when it took its first fall of 2022. From Silverstone, he tried to manage his points count, but at the motorland, came the second setback. On the first lap, he collided with the Honda of Marc Marquez. A key event for the destiny of the Nice champion. “ The moment I suffered the most was in Aragon ", remember Diego Gubellini. " But he crashed after a few turns through no fault of his own. For certain races we managed the gap because it became difficult to counter Pecco, we had put in place a strategy to minimize losses. When you make a zero like in MotorLand the world falls on you ».
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Gubellini: “ when it became difficult to counter Pecco, we implemented a strategy to minimize losses«
To fabio quartararo, there were two fatal blows between the Thailand and theAustralia, a double zero which allowed Pecco Bagnaia to take the lead in the MotoGP World Championship for the first time. The last podium was at Sepang, but it was too late… “ In Malaysia, it was difficult because the weekend didn't go very well, the fall caused a fracture in his finger. Then he entered qualifying in a difficult moment for Pecco, but without being able to exploit it. We met in the evening and asked ourselves 'Do we want to win this championship or not?' Sunday we fell behind Pecco – concludes the Italian engineer – but he had a good race ». THE Valencia, it was now impossible to think of a turnaround...
Fabio returns to Andorra with the awareness of having abandoned the scepter without having deserved, and all the responsibility must be pointed at the failure of the development of the Yamaha YZR-M1 2022. At the top of the company only remains to make his mea culpa, but it will be essential not to make further mistakes. “ We knew from the start that this year was going to be quite difficult. We did 20 races in all kinds of conditions - underlines Lynn Jarvis. " Fabio did a great job against strong competition and got the most out of the bike… Yamaha is preparing the bike for the 2023 season so we can compete for the championship again. Personally, I would like to express my gratitude to Fabio for his tireless work, for his passion, his positive team spirit and the joy he brings to MotoGP fans around the world ».
