After four overseas Grands Prix already completed, Fabio Quartararo arrives in Portimão, Portugal, in 5th position in the MotoGP world championship, 17 points behind leader Enea Bastianini.
A situation which is not dramatic for the outgoing world champion, but which is mainly based on a 2nd place acquired in Indonesia in the rain, the French driver having reached the finish of the three other events in 9th, 8th and 7th positions.
In these conditions, a bit like for Francesco Bagnaia, the race at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve will be indicative of the current level of the Yamaha YZR-M1 compared to the competition, knowing that it is understood that El Diablo Each time he achieves the quintessence compared to the other Iwata pilots.
Last year, the Niçois won the Portuguese Grand Prix in April thanks to “sensations identical to those of 2019”, before crashing during the Algarve Grand Prix in November while in 6th position.
Two contrasting situations but the Frenchman, who celebrates his 23rd birthday today, is looking forward to the next round in Portimão, a circuit which, according to him, suits his Yamaha well. He aims to work quickly on Friday, to secure a front row on Saturday and fight for the podium on Sunday.
Fabio Quartararo: “I enjoyed the race in Austin because I did my best. There were some great battles on the track, and I learned a lot. I am satisfied with my performance, but in Portimão I want to fight for the podium. When we came here in April last year, I won. This race was truly incredible, and I want to ride like that again. The goal is always to be first and do our best, so that's what we'll continue to do. »
Massimo Meregalli: “After two disappointing races, we pulled ourselves together. There is work to be done, so that is what we will focus on in order to fight for podiums on European soil. Portimão is a good circuit for Fabio and Franky. Fabio got this brilliant victory here last year at the Portuguese GP, and Franky got on the podium here in 2020 before his injury. We want to achieve the best possible results, and we believe it is possible if we get good starting positions. »
