On this Saturday, May 15, 2021, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans at the end of the second day of the French Grand Prix rewarded with a third consecutive pole position.
We went to listen at a press conference (via teleconference software) to the words of the French driver who currently occupies 2nd place in the championship after having had to concede the leadership in Jerez following a physical problem with his right forearm.
As usual, we report here the words of fabio quartararo without the slightest formatting.
Fabio, congratulations on your pole position, again here at Le Mans. You got it on your last turn during a very tricky day. A few days after your compartment syndrome surgery, this is very significant. Tell us about your qualifying round!
fabio quartararo : " Yes, it was a difficult day, because in the first run of FP3 it went very well with more water on the track: it was easier for us. And as soon as the track dried, everyone improved. We also improved but almost nothing. So in mixed conditions with the wet tires it's very difficult for us and so it's good that the track has dried for qualifying. The last sector is a bit tricky at first, but yeah, I pushed myself to the limit on the last lap and almost lost the front in turn 11. I didn't even know I had took pole position because I saw the three bikes in the parc ferme, but at the last moment I saw my mechanics and it was really cool. »
What is Yamaha's problem in these kinds of mixed conditions, neither completely dry nor completely wet?
« It seems that in moderately wet conditions, when we can put the slicks on, it's not bad, but when we have to go out with the wet tires (sigh), we don't have any acceleration with the bike. I found myself behind several riders with different bikes and we struggled a lot with traction. Honestly, I feel good in the braking zones and in the passages during the race, but when it dries it's very difficult. I don't know about the other riders but I know that for me it's impossible to tilt the bike quickly, and as soon as we tilt it up, it stays in the same place and spins a lot. »
Last thing, it seems that the holeshot device is not very usable here at Le Mans because of the Dunlop chicane. Do you think this is an advantage for you at the start?
« For my part, I will use it (laughs). It's a bit tricky but we don't arrive in sixth gear in the corner. We have a little less speed in the right turn, but we need it for the start. We have to use it because we have to grab this advantage, or maybe not if they use it too, and I will use it tomorrow. »
Can we imagine that tomorrow, if it's dry that it will be a race for Yamaha and if it's wet it will be a race for Ducati?
« (Sigh) It's hard to say but, in my opinion, Maverick's rhythm, mine and Jack's rhythm are very good. If the conditions are wet, I struggle a little more than Jack and the next Ducati, I think it's Zarco's, so yes, we'll see. Like I said, I think I have a lot to learn with wet conditions. I only did one race here in the wet and it was difficult, so I want to learn more and gain experience for the future. »
What is the most positive point of this weekend so far: Your arm, the pole position, or the fact that Joan Mir, Álex Rins and Pecco Bagnaia start 14th, 15th and 16th?
« (Laughs), I think, everything! Everything is very good, but you know, before the qualification I was really nervous. Normally I'm never really nervous, but this was my first time out with the medium rain rear tire. Eventually I really got used to it and was able to do a good session, but the positive thing is that I feel good about my arm. Then we were able to go straight into Q2 into FP2, and that helps a lot. We'll see tomorrow, but right now my arm looks really good, and I think that's the most important thing. »
You were immediately fast yesterday in FP2. Is it natural or is it something you work on?
« Honestly, I immediately felt good in FP2 even though we had a lot of fuel and new tires. But yes, I was quite surprised to do 32.1 because it was not a time attack and I had suffered a small fall which was my fault. It's not anything really special, but when you look at the sky before going into FP2 and you see that it's all dark, you want to attack immediately. So I think it was a pretty natural thing to do and everyone did the same. »
You say you have to learn in the wet: What do you have to learn and why is it so difficult in these conditions?
« Personally, I felt very good. OK, this morning I was quite far away but the problem is that, in my opinion, I'm riding well: I don't feel very slow (laughs) but when I look at the positions, I'm really at the bottom. It's hard to accept but I really want to see what the different bikes do. It's very clear that we're losing on acceleration but maybe it's the way they go through the corners or something else. For me, starting from pole position, if it's a wet race, we have to be clear: We won't really stay in first position for long, unfortunately. But as soon as a driver overtakes me, I want to learn and see what he does differently. We have Jack on the front row, so I think he's one of the best in these conditions and I want to see what he does different. We'll try to find something during the warm up if it's wet, and we'll try something regardless. »
Normally, FP4 is used to prepare for the race. Were you able to do it?
« I think it was quite difficult to prepare because we didn't really get to do a lot of laps. We started in the wet then it dried and we went over the slicks, taking it step by step. Then there were the yellow flags and it started to rain again. We knew the tire had cooled down for turn three, so there were a lot of things we couldn't really do and I don't think anyone prepared for the race really well. But it's the same for everyone. Normally the choice of tires is difficult but here I think it is quite clear because it is impossible to heat the front tire. It's a little easier at the back but it's really cold, so I think everyone will go soft/soft if it's dry. »
With Jack Miller, you talked a lot and looked at your dashboards after Q2. What did you say to yourself and what were you able to learn?
« Oui. Je me souviens de l’année dernière où il avait fait un tour derrière moi, mais où heureusement il me restait un tour pour faire la pole. Cette année, je savais qu’il était derrière moi, et dès que j’ai fait mon tour, j’ai tourné la tête pour voir s’il était vraiment proche, mais c’était très similaire. Donc dès que je suis arrivé sur la zone des essais de départ, j’ai regardé et j’ai vu 32.7. “Ahhh”, j’étais un peu mieux, donc, c’était drôle. Mais j’ai simplement regardé son chrono. »
Have you prepared for a flag to flag race?
« This is my third year in MotoGP and I've been training for three years but I haven't done it in a race yet, so you'll have to be smart about when to change if we have a flag to flag race because the track dries very quickly. I think it would be a really good experience for me to do my first flag to flag race. Certainly, it's funny. »
Would you be in favor of swapping Le Mans and Mugello?
« I think the later we put Le Mans on, the better! Normally the weather is better in Italy because it's further south, and for Le Mans I think the best option might be to do it just before the summer break. It seems to me that in the last 20 years, races have taken place 10 times in the wet, wet and cold. So I think putting Le Mans with the hottest possible conditions would be good because it's a rather tricky track: Like Jack did in 2016 or 2017, it's quite easy to lose the front at turn 1, at turn 3 and has many other turns. So I think in hot conditions this track is much bettere. »
How difficult is it to find the limit when it can vary each lap depending on the track conditions? Is it mentally tiring and difficult?
« Yes ! In FP4 and qualifying, you try to have speed. The track dries up then you see yellow flags, you slow down a bit, it starts to rain, you don't want to push too hard at turn three where there were a lot of crashes... I think well you want to try to find the limit in these conditions, you always maintain a small margin, except in qualifying. It was very difficult for me to stay focused and make a real rhythm. Ultimately, you try to learn as much as possible but it's not easy. »
Ranking of Qualification 2 of the French MotoGP Grand Prix at Le Mans:
Ranking of Qualification 1 of the French MotoGP Grand Prix at Le Mans:
Credit rankings and photo: MotoGP.com
