On this Friday, September 11, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from Misano ahead of the San Marino 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.
fabio quartararo : “Today was a very positive day because after struggling and experiencing difficult times for a month, I can say that we have progressed a lot. I'm very happy to be back, and not just on one lap because the pace has been very good. We still have some details to improve and I will do my debriefing with my team leader and my engineers. Of course I will do my best to try to improve the bike. »
How are the brakes performing today?
“The brakes are OK. Fortunately, there is no problem and I am very happy about it. »
When you had your compartment syndrome surgery, did they just open the sheath or did they remove it?
“Honestly, I don’t know (laughs)! I know they opened and it was very painful from Barcelona to Assen. My arm was huge! I saw that Cal had effusions and I had this kind of problem twice, in Barcelona and in Assen. It was really painful. In the end, we did it at the right time, but it wasn't so easy to manage. »
You haven't tested here but have you found the feeling you had in Jerez? And what happened with Maverick?
“(Laughs) we bet on who would ask this question first and I bet on you (laughs)! »
“Of course we are fast, but the more tests we can do, the better. We saw it with KTM in Austria and Brno. We're not easy: we don't have the best bike and we don't have the best package. We have a very good bike but the feeling is not exactly the same as in Jerez because there are still problems that we have to deal with ourselves. But the feeling is good. With Maverick, it was a bit like a kind of fun: it's always good to fight with other pilots when everything is clean. It's not ugly and it was like a kind of game. In MotoGP, when everything is very close, and we had already experienced something similar last year when I overtook him, it's always nice to be very close. We don't have that situation very often and I really enjoy that kind of game."
Were you using the 2020 calipers?
“Honestly, I don’t know but I think the most important thing is that the brakes brake. I think we use the 2020s.”
Maverick said yesterday that they were less consistent than the 2019s. What do you think?
" Yes. It is true that we have to adapt because the old calipers were more precise. They were perfect while with these you have to play a little. It's difficult but I adapt. In Austria we had these and it was difficult, but it's just a matter of getting used to it. Honestly, the feeling was very good today, so let's hope that we won't find the sensations of Austria where we had to adapt a lot to the front brakes. »
Was it important to finish first in FP2?
“Above all, I wanted to finish first because it had been a long time since I finished a session in the lead. It's always a pleasure to see your name first and to know that you did a good job during the session, and for the race pace too, since I did 25 laps with the rear tire. We put the hard front tire on for the second run and it was a big step forward. This has been a good solution although it is a bit critical to heat it. But the feeling was good. So I'm happy to have finished first and more than a question of glory, it's a question of confidence. »
Does having circuits that will be less favorable to you put pressure on you here or make you lose confidence?
“Not really confidence. Honestly, Yamaha is working very hard and we have some positives for Misano 1 and 2. We know we have two weeks to cross our fingers and hope we have good news for Barcelona. So of course they work very hard but I can't say I'm full of confidence because we don't have the complete package that I want. But it is very important to believe in them and also put a little pressure on them to have this good news in Barcelona. »
Is Maverick your main opponent this weekend?
“Of course, Maverick is the main opponent for this race. He will be very strong this weekend but it seems he is using different tires than us. At the front, at the back, and also to do your lap times. It's quite funny to see that with the same bike we use different tires but this has often been the case since I arrived in MotoGP. He has a different riding style most of the time he uses different tires. »
What do you mean by talking about good news in Barcelona? New parts?
“No, not new things but things we already had and need again. »
Like what ?
“Of course, I’m not going to tell you (laughs). It's too confidential. But we must have this news because it is important to us. »
With the track grip being higher this year, does that lead to a different driving style?
" No. There's not really a lot of grip. There is more grip than last year but the track is similar to motocross. There are a lot of bumps! Having more grip is positive but we have to adapt. My first run in FP1 was really difficult to manage. It was good to see, but it's important to have very good grip and try to manage to be consistent. But it's hard to do with bumps. »
FP1/FP2 Ranking Lenovo San Marino and Rimini Riviera MotoGP Grand Prix in Misano:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
