On this Saturday, April 3, 2021, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Losail circuit at the end of the second day of the Doha Grand Prix in Qatar, which he finished in fifth position.
We went to listen (via software) to the words of the French pilot.
As usual, we report here the words of Fabio Quartararo without the slightest formatting.
You seemed happy on the bike. Have you progressed since yesterday?
fabio quartararo : " Yes, we have taken a big step forward, especially in driving! Unfortunately, we had a shorter gearbox in qualifying, and you know, when you've done a Grand Prix and five days of testing, I have my references everywhere: You brake at a certain speed and when I shift into gear, I don't look at the (dashboard) lights. I know when I need to change. And today, our strong point which is turns 1, 4 and 7, the lights were coming on very early and I was braking too early. So we made a little mistake by making a shorter box, but I feel happy because FP4 was very good and I feel we have very good potential for tomorrow. »
With conditions changing all the time, what is your goal for tomorrow?
« For tomorrow, I feel like I can fight for victory. We have a very good rhythm. We have to admit we're missing a little something but, you know, you always have a little extra in racing. »
Jack Miller had a huge heat and you were right behind. Tell us…
« Regarding Jack, I think it was the scariest heat I have ever seen in MotoGP! And when I saw that he improved his time again later, I would say, to be polite, “big balls” (laughs)! To me it's just amazing how he was able to do this trick. For me, he's the hero of the day because he really came very close to getting a huge one today, and it was really scary from behind. »
Was it more spectacular than what he experienced yesterday?
« Yesterday was nothing compared to what he had today. Yesterday it was just heat, today it started again but three or four times longer, and the shaking was three or four times faster. It's a shame we didn't see it on TV because I think it's one of the biggest catch-ups we've ever seen. »
You say you made good progress today. Thanks to what ?
« To be honest, the bike is exactly the same as last week as far as settings are concerned. But I changed the way I entered the corners a little and there was a little work on the electronics. I felt we had progressed, as did I on the bike and the team helped me with the electronics. But honestly, today, when I saw the time and the pace in these conditions, I was really happy because we did 15 consecutive laps, and from the first to the last there was only 1/10 difference . I was at 54.9 on the last lap and felt the potential was good. So yes, I'm very happy with today and fortunately the qualification wasn't the best but I feel we have big potential for tomorrow. »
Have you encountered any tire problems?
« I didn't have anything strange, I just didn't feel great. Sometimes it happens that you don't feel great with the tires, but this weekend I didn't really have any problems with the tires. Sometimes unfortunately a problem can happen to you, and sometimes it is for others, but you have to accept it because there is nothing you can do. I hope I don't have any tomorrow, but it could depend on a lot of things. »
Does the new chassis help you ride this bike the way you want and are you able to ride a little less aggressively, or is it still the same?
« Honestly, it's not like in 2019 where it was really smooth and super easy. Here, we will say that I took a step towards a little more fluidity and less aggressiveness. More flow. Not like in 2019, but I felt that we had very good potential and that I used the tires a lot less than last week. Really, when I got to the last laps of FP4, and I did 54.9, I was really happy with the work. From the best lap to the last lap, there wasn't 1/10 so that's cool, and I think that in racing you always have a little extra. And I didn't really feel at the limit, so that's why I think that in racing we can do a little something extra. And also, we did it on a run, so we really know how the tire overheats in conditions like that. It's certain that when you stop and then start again, the tire has time to cool down, but there it was all in one run. »
Ranking of Qualification 2 of the MotoGP Doha Grand Prix:
Ranking of Qualification 1 of the MotoGP Doha Grand Prix:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
