Via the official website MotoGP.com, we attended the post-qualifying press conference for the 2020 Shark Helmets French Grand Prix on the Bugatti at Le Mans.
Were present Fabio Quartararo, Jack Miller, Danilo Petrucci, Joe Roberts and Jaume Masia.
As usual, we report here the entirety of the comments of Fabio Quartararo without the slightest formatting.
Fabio, you had a fantastic ride on a tricky day today as it was windy and cold. Good game !
fabio quartararo : " THANKS ! The conditions were very delicate because in FP3, in FP4, and even during qualifying, it was very difficult to heat the tire. Yes, I was happy because since Friday we knew why we were so far away but this morning we were pretty good. When I watched Q1, Danilo did a pretty impressive lap and I thought “wow, we must be really fast” and we improved a lot to be on the front row. Even my first run was good and I just went to the limit during the second. I really wanted to do better and in the end we got pole position, so I'm very happy with today. »
You will probably take the soft Michelin tires tomorrow. What will be your strategies for the end of the race but also for the first corner against two Ducatis?
« Yes, it will be difficult, but in the end we just have to try to do our best and try to be in front. Yes, I think everyone will use soft tires because it's a bit cold. For me, it wasn't bad because in FP4 I did 26 laps with the softs in 32.9, which wasn't bad. I think the consistency of the tire is really good, not like in Barcelona where the degradation was very great. So I think the soft tire won't pose a big problem. »
“It's a bit cold" 🎙️ – @FabioQ20
Soft-soft will be the order of the day for tires tomorrow and as Fabio says, the cold temperatures is the reasoning behind it! 🥶#FrenchGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/Xy4FfDO1E9
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 10, 2020
You have the two Ducatis next to you. How worried are you about this and what will be your approach to the race based on the fact that Joan Mir will start very far behind?
« We know they can start very well but we can manage to get a good start. So I don't really think about that and I'll try to do my best. In the first sector, I am currently good and I will do my best to make a good first sector in the first round. So we'll see. But honestly, I don't really think about Mir going far away. I just want to have fun and I think we have a very good pace to fight for the podium and for the victory. So we just have to try to be calm and do our best. That's what I'm thinking about for tomorrow, more than the championship. »
Your trajectories are very fluid and very precise. Has it always been like this, or is it from watching Jorge Lorenzo?
« No (laughs). I don't really look at Jorge's driving style. It's just a natural riding style that people find similar to Jorge Lorenzo's, but I think it was something quite clear. Also in Moto2, when I won my first race in Barcelona, it was from there that I really found the positives, and even before in the past, in Moto3. I think being precise is something I can do very well, although you always make mistakes. On TV you can't really see them. But here, it is true that I am rather precise. Some circuits are easier than others, but I felt very good today. »
You are the first Frenchman in 66 years to be able to win a Grand Prix here in the premier category. Does this give you extra pressure or extra motivation?
« I don't think it's really an extra motivation or extra pressure. I have some bad memories about that, where I had too much motivation, and every time you feel that way, normally you fall. So I just want to enjoy the race tomorrow. We know it won't be easy because there are also Ducatis on the first and second rows. But we just want to have fun on the bike, and I won't think about the 66 years that have gone by without a Frenchman winning in MotoGP (in France). We will try to do our best and we will see the result, but for sure I will give my 100% to fight and achieve the best possible result. »
Whether because of yellow flags or for track exits, more and more laps are canceled. Is it possible to anticipate this in FP3 by doing your timed laps earlier in the session?
« In FP3, the last run, where we made our second attack, I was with Pol and Dovi and none of us could do a (clean) lap, because Mir, Binder and Vale crashed in the first sector. In the three laps we did we saw yellow flags and all our laps were cancelled. That's why we always do two time attacks, because I think it's very important to be safe. So yes, we anticipate a little bit. Normally we really do it at the end, but with the new rules that cancel laps in case of yellow flags, we manage to do a time attack before the end, in the middle of the session, to be sure. »
Qualification 2 ranking of the French MotoGP Grand Prix:
Qualification 1 ranking of the French MotoGP Grand Prix:
Photo credit and rankings: MotoGP.com
