Via the official website MotoGP.com, we attended the Shark Helmets French Grand Prix 2020 Bugatti pre-event press conference at Le Mans.
Were present Fabio Quartararo, Joan Mir, Alex Rins, Francesco Bagnaia, Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin.
As usuale, we report here the entirety of the words of Fabio Quartararo without the slightest formatting.
You arrive at your home Grand Prix after a very important victory in Barcelona. How much confidence has returned?
fabio quartararo : " Finally, it was a very good moment to get my third victory in Barcelona, and I think it was the most important because we had some difficult moments in Brno, Austria and Misano, and it was very good being back at a track that I really love like Barcelona. We arrive here and last year it was really positive: The result was not extraordinary but we showed in the race that our pace was very fast, because if we look at the times, we had the pace to fight for the podium. This is very good and we hope the same for this year. I'm very confident and the weather doesn't look so bad. So I'm happy and confident here. »
“Last year was really positive here” 🎙️ – @FabioQ20
It's game on in Le Mans as Fabio hopes to keep the momentum rolling at home 💪#FrenchGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/XS02wnQVk2
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 8, 2020
Yesterday you were absent from the test in Portimão. For what ?
« Above all, to avoid any kind of injuries, which would be risky before starting three consecutive races. I drove there six years ago, and we will also have an extended FP1 and FP2. That's why I didn't go to Portimão, especially since it would have been on a different bike. »
There is a beautiful photo circulating online of you and Joan Mir when you were at Leopard in 2016. Would you have believed then that you would occupy the first two places in the MotoGP championship?
« (Laughs) For sure we are in a better position now than that year, because “wow”, less for Joan but for me, that year was a total disaster! So it's good that we have kept our relationship since that time, and we are now first and second in the championship. Last year we were both Rookies and now we're fighting for the championship, so I think it's a cool story. »
Quartararo, Mir and Locatelli: when we were team-mates with Leopard: One has already won and dominated the Supersport World Championship, the other two are fighting for the MotoGP title: in 2016 the Leopard team had the long eye https://t.co/K41tkLp3kM pic.twitter.com/dmi9LzsCsq
— GPOne.com (@gponedotcom) September 30, 2020
Do you understand why Jorge Lorenzo tested in Portimão on a bike from last year?
« Of course, I think we need to do more testing during the season, because Jorge tested in Sepang and Portimão. So for me we need to improve this because it is very important to have the best possible details, but honestly I don't know why he tested with the 2019 bike and not there 2020. So the question is not for me but more for Yamaha. »
Emilio Alzamora won a world title without winning a race. Do you think this is possible today?
« Everything is possible, so I would say yes! »
What do you think of the team instructions for the title?
« In my opinion, there will be no instructions or “Maping 8” for the moment. I'm just completely focused on each race and it's better (not to think about that). My teammate must fight for victory, since we are not at the last race. Of course, if at the last moment of the last race we have to play something, there will definitely be team instructions, and if it were the other way around, let Franco fight for the title in the last race, at I would definitely help him. But at the moment there will be no team instructions until the last moment of the season and I think that is the best way to fight for the championship. »
As you have been teammates with Joan Mir, do you think that knowing him well gives you an advantage in fighting for the championship?
« No, it's completely different. I think we've both changed a lot: We were both teenagers and now we're a little older! I think that it will not change anything, that we have both completely changed, that this year does not count for knowing us well as riders, and I think that Moto3 and MotoGP have nothing to do and which we cannot compare. So I think this can't help. »
Social media question: What music would you recommend, if you only had one?
« I listen to a lot of music, almost all day, but I would say Goosebumps by Travis Scott, because I like the artist as well. So I would say this one. »
Photo credits: MotoGP.com
