MotoGP Le Mans France J3 Debriefing Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha/9): The risky bet, the main problem, etc. (Entire)

On this Sunday, October 11, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from Le Mans at the end of the French Grand Prix.

We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French pilot.

As usual, we report here the words of Fabio Quartararo without the slightest formatting, even if the first part is translated from English (vouvoiement).

fabio quartararo : " I would have liked it to be much better but it was my first race in the wet, my first experience in these conditions. And in the end, for the championship, it's not so bad. Of course, I would have preferred a dry race because our pace was extremely good, but it is what it is and we have to stay focused on Aragon which arrives in a few days. »

At the start of the race, you appeared quite aggressive during your battle with Pol Espargaró, then you dropped back. What happened ? A loss of confidence?

« You're not wrong, but you're not right (laughs). At the start, we had a lot of trouble getting the rear tire up to temperature, and that's why Dovi and Petrucci overtook us so quickly. But the feeling with the front was very good! So I wanted to defend my position as best as possible. OK, Pol overtook me but for sure his feeling wasn't very good with the front, so I passed him again to try to maintain my position, but finally, after eight or nine laps, the Rear grip was very difficult. It was therefore not easy to manage the race and I think that this is our main problem in these kinds of conditions: We struggle a lot to heat the rear tire on the sidewalls, for corner exits. That's why it was terrible for us at the start of the race. It's a bit strange, but ultimately we were able to manage good things for the future. »

Did the performances of Álex Márquez and Miguel Oliveira, who also did not have much experience in the wet, surprise you?

« It's more than not having much experience in the wet (laughs), it's my first race in the wet today! So they have the same experience as me. Of course, Álex was very fast in the wet last year since he won in Japan and a few races in the rain, but he was extremely fast today and I think he fully deserved the podium. I'm also very happy for him, for Petrucci and for Pol, because they finish ahead of Dovi and that's very good news for us. In the end, it's very good to see that many drivers are also going fast in the wet. »

The main thing was to keep Joan Mir behind you?

« Yes. He overtook me at turn 8 and I passed him again. I think it was very positive for the championship to be ahead of him. I think that was the only moment in the race where I thought about the championship: I had to finish in front of him! So I was happy to repeat it and finish in ninth place. »

Was today's result very important for the championship?

« Honestly, when I crossed the finish line, I was happy to finish ahead of Joan and Maverick. Then I looked at the screen and saw that a guy in red had won the race, and I was like, "Oh, Dovizioso won today and he's going to get closer." Then I saw it was Petrucci! I said to myself “Oh, that’s good”, then I saw that there was Álex second and Pol third. I was angry but happy because for our first race in the wet it could have been worse. We still lead the championship, so you could say it's a strange season, but I'm happy to still lead the championship. »

In what areas have you improved compared to Friday's wet test session?

« We took a big risk! What I asked the team was to make a big change on the bike and see what would happen, because I felt really bad in FP1. I told them to do what they thought was best and that I would give them feedback after the race. And it was better, I had a better feeling despite the difficulty in heating the tire. Before the race I was a little worried because we had never tried the settings I was going to race with! In the end, we did our first race in the wet, it was the first time we tried these settings, we had pole position… so I was a little nervous but in the end it was very good to see that we had to take some risks. Today we started with settings that we had never used in the wet, and it wasn't so bad. »

It seems to have been a race for the V4s, as you finish quite far back, but first inline four. Do you have an explanation ?

« I don't think it's a V4 or inline four issue. Above all, it is a circuit much more suited to powerful motorcycles. And I think in the wet, even more so, because you can't really use your cornering speed. But we could see that Álex Rins was very fast, although unfortunately he crashed. He was there and he was fighting for victory! I think it's more the question that Álex is very quick: I remember Valencia two years ago! It seems that we are struggling a lot, but as you say, we are the first inline four, although I think that does not change much our problem which is to make the rear tire heat up faster in the wet. »

It's October. Aragón can be cold, as can Valencia. Are you worried about the conditions we will have for the last races?

« Yes ! But not about the cold, because in the end we manage the cold quite well. It's more about the wet. Of course, today it was very good to have a first impression in the wet with this first race. We know what to expect but I would like dry races, even if it is cold. But yes, the last part will not be easy because it is quite late, and usually we go to Thailand and Malaysia at this time, very hot countries. There it will be Aragón, Valencia and Portimão which doesn't look bad but will still be cold. »

You played it safe on Friday in the wet, but ultimately shouldn't you have familiarized yourself with these conditions, given the race on Sunday or the next ones?

« Honestly, in FP1, it's not that I didn't attack! I attacked, but I felt that something was really, really bad on the bike. I didn't want to exceed the limit but I pushed hard enough and nothing happened: it wasn't bad but at the end of the session, everyone had progressed well but we remained with the same times. That's why I was a little worried. But that wouldn't have changed anything because we can now attack quite a bit. The problem would have been the same. »

Johann Mir said he had a lot of fun in the last lap fighting with you like it was victory. How was it for you?

« I think that was the first time I thought about the championship during the race. When Joan overtook me, I said to myself, “No way! » and I really tried very hard to pass him in turn 9, widening him a little bit but I was also a little wide because I had exceeded the limit. This fight for ninth place was like a fight for victory! It was fun and everyone gave 100%! Even though some people say that no one wants to win the championship, everyone wants to win it. It was fun, I wanted to finish in front, and it was a very good overtake. »