On this Friday, April 16, 2021, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Portimão circuit at the end of the first day of the Portuguese 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 answers are translated from English (vouvoiement).
Yesterday you said that Portimão would help you understand how the Yamaha would perform on European circuits. Are you already reassured?
fabio quartararo : " My feeling is positive on the bike. Above all, my doubts are dispelled because the bike is working well, although we have to take into account the conditions which were not very good today. But I can say that the feeling is very good and the bike works well. »
What do you think of Marc Márquez's return today?
« Regarding Marc, I expected that because we know how mentally strong he is. He's been really impressive and now he's going to go faster and faster, so we have exactly the same Marc we left behind. »
It looks like you've at least partly solved the problems the Yamahas had here last year, but is that because the bike is better or just because the times were slower?
« No, I think the conditions were the same for everyone. I felt an improvement compared to last year, and as I said, there is also a difference in my mentality. Last year, mentally I arrived after two falls in Valencia and the bike was not working well, and when I arrived here it was the same thing mentally. Now I arrive after Qatar and I feel that everything is fine. So I'm happy and I feel that we can also do very well on this circuit but we hope that the conditions will improve a little because the grip is very poor. »
The grip was not good but you were still fast: Is this positive about the performance of the 2021 Yamaha?
« Yes. I'm happy because even with low grip the bike works well, so it's something important for us. We know that the Ducatis and the powerful bikes are a little faster than us when the grip is low, so if the grip improves it will be a little better for us. So already feeling good with this grip is already a big step forward and I'm excited to see if the grip improves a little or not. »
After this first day, it seems that Miguel Oliveira no longer has the advantage he had last year. But could he be a surprise in the race?
« Miguel is already the local hero. He doesn't have to do an FP1 like last year, we have plenty of time to progress and we have to be there on Sunday. He was really fast today. »
Will Marc Márquez be there in the race?
« Yes, Marc will fight for victory on Sunday. He was already sixth today and will always be fast, and faster each time, so I'm not worried about him, because he was very impressive and fast. »
Can you explain to us the differences in feeling between last year's bike and this year's?
« Above all, I struggled mentally and I feel that I struggle less. This helps me because I think more about my riding style on the bike. That's the first thing. Otherwise, according to the sensations I had in Qatar, the bike runs a little better and it behaves a bit like the 2019 chassis. This is a very positive point and I think it is already a big step ahead. »
In Qatar you said you had to attack like hell. Here, is your driving a little smoother?
« It's completely different from Qatar. It's very smooth on this circuit and I'm happy because it reminds me of the good old days of 2019, when things were very easy. Today I paced myself like this. We know we had a very good pace in Qatar and it paid off: We fought for victory and we won. Today it was a bit of the same feeling because the pace was very regular and fast, so I'm very happy because I was able to drive fluidly. It's very good for our bike and very good for the sensations. »
Do you think you can fight for victory or are you still missing some improvements to make in terms of settings?
« In terms of settings, honestly, we're pretty good because in terms of rhythm, I haven't seen that of the others, but I know that mine was rather consistent. I still hope to improve it a little bit because everyone wants to improve, but I sincerely think that we have very good possibilities of having a good race. We have a good feeling with the bike and I hope that tomorrow it will be the same. »
How is your arm?
" How are you ! I had tendinitis in Qatar at the end of the first race because I pushed a little too much. I got tendinitis and had a little trouble for the second race. But we worked well during the week and it went really well in Qatar. In Andorra, I worked a lot more on my arm. Here, it's a track that is quite difficult for the forearms but honestly I felt very, very good today, but I'm really continuing the treatment until Sunday. I feel great and I'm glad I don't have any pain in my arm today. »
Do you feel even more interested in yourself after the victory in Qatar?
« I hope so ! In any case what we did last week with Johann was (unique?) seeing two French people first and second, and first and second in the championship. So I really hope that the general public starts to become more and more interested in motorcycling. Watching the Qatar race was wonderful, with lots of overtaking: I think even someone who doesn't like motorcycling can really enjoy watching that. I hope that more than waiting, it's having support. French first and second, that hasn't been done for over 60 years. You have to stay calm and try to do the best possible but in any case I feel that the French public loves motorcycling more and more, and I think that's a very good thing for the future. »
Standings for FP2 of the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão:
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
