The second press conference as a prelude to the Qatar Grand Prix motorcycle, on the Losail circuit, brought together Marc Marquez, fabio quartararo et Peter Acosta, three outsiders for the 2024 world title, to answer various questions from journalists.
In difficulty on the handlebars of a Yamaha having evolved less than his opponents, the world champion did not wait for the second question to declare that he was not yet where he wanted, despite the improvements made to the M1 …
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
We are preparing to host the Qatar Grand Prix Qatar and the opening round of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship. It is now time for the second pre-event press conference. I am delighted to welcome three drivers who have 11 world championships between them. We welcome, of course, in the center, Marc Marquez, 8 times world champion. Marc begins a new chapter in his career in 2024, after joining Gresini Racing alongside his younger brother Alex. To Marc's right, we welcome Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha rider, of course MotoGP world champion in 2021 and vice-world champion in 2022. Finally, we welcome a young rider whose future is incredibly promising , since he is already Moto3 and Moto2 world champion. This is the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 driver, Pedro Acosta. Gentlemen, welcome to you three!
Fabio, we have seen that Yamaha has been very busy behind the scenes: Lots of new faces, but also new working methods. Are you starting the season with more optimism than in 2023? And after the winter testing, Fabio, where do you think you and Yamaha stand in the peloton?
fabio quartararo : “Above all, I think we have taken a step forward in the way we work, the mentality within the team is completely different. Yes, I think we took a step, but everyone took a step. That's kind of why we're struggling right now, but I think we just need more time. The new engineers, I think they are doing a very good job. And yes, I think that for the moment we are still far from the goal. I don't think we're going to be able to fight in the position we want, but we're going to give our best from start to finish. »
Fabio, first of all, I asked a few riders from Honda and Yamaha, your teammate Alex, what it meant to have concessions especially for you as a rider during the season: what will this bring you?
“Well, I think, you know, it's really important to have a lot of things that we can change on the bike. The engine, I think it's very good, but to be able to test more during the season, it will be great, especially because I think the new engineers are great, but they need a lot of time, and you you know, during a race weekend, it's really complicated to test this kind of thing, especially on the electronics side. And being able to test on my own and not with Cal, Cal really does a great job, but I mean when you test on your own what you need, I think it's better. That's why I think the dealerships are very useful, because we only have two bikes on the program. »
Fabio, after all these days of testing, what do you think you should focus on? Are you satisfied with the race pace and not the lap time? And do you think that if you improve on this, the race pace is good enough for you to be able to fight for podiums?
“Well, there are many areas where we need to improve, but especially, last year too, I mean the pace was always much better than a time lap. We know how important it is to be in Q2 on Friday afternoon. But yeah, there are things like electronics, corner entry, how we use the rear tire, that's something we do a little less well every year and we focus too much in some areas. So we have to go back a little bit, like in 2019 or 2021, the way we were riding was a lot more smooth. So yeah, like I said, I think we need a lot more time to fully understand what we need. »
What is the main concern on the eve of the first Grand Price of the season, what concerns you most?
“From my side, it's a difficult question, but I think the way of working is completely new, some guys have arrived in the team, and it has completely changed the mentality. I mean again, I think for the adaptation of the team we need a little more races, more experience. But I mean there's nothing special; we're just trying to do more steps than expected every time we go to the track. »
Front tire pressure is confirmed at 1,8 bar.
Do you think this is enough to improve the front tire situation compared to last year?
“Yes, I think in the past it was 1.9, right? Yes, I think that's absolutely correct. And I think, as Marc said, when you go too high, you lack performance, and also on the low side. So of course there are races like Thailand, and overall when it's really hot you play a lot with the front tire, and I think 1,8 is pretty good. »
You sat on the stage before the start of a new season, not expecting to challenge for the championship, from what you both say, and that's not necessarily what you'd expect at the beginning of the year. Why this mentality, sitting here at this championship event, and how does it feel to have a different perspective at the start of the championship?
“Yes, it’s not easy. For my part, from last year, I had difficulty accepting the position I found myself in, especially during the first 7-8 races where I did not feel well personally. You know, when you're fighting for the championship for three years in a row and you're in this position, it's never easy. But yes, right now, you know, to be realistic, you have to know where you are. We are not in a position to think about the championship, but I am working a lot, I think Yamaha is working a lot too, the project is much clearer than last year, so we are taking steps forward. It will take time, but I think we will be much, much faster. »
Maximum speed is a sensitive subject. It is obvious that your factory has taken a big step forward in this regard. So maybe over a lap or even a few laps, the difference in lap time doesn't make a big difference, but in your mind, in your head, having a good top speed, and maybe also in a race, maybe that makes a bigger difference…
“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely like you said. I mean maybe one lap doesn't make a difference, but to fight in the race I think it's a lot easier. Let's say it's less difficult to prepare for an overtake or to get closer to the guy in front. And I think we can drive more similarly than other manufacturers. It is true that the aerodynamics we have are a little lighter than those of other manufacturers, but this proves that Yamaha is making good progress and working a lot. But this proves that Yamaha is taking good steps forward and working a lot. Because the biggest change we had over the winter was the top speed, and we're quite happy with that. »
Fabio, the driver market season opened two days ago with Pecco, and apart from Binder, Marini and Pecco, everyone is free to negotiate. Have you set a deadline for Yamaha and yourself on what decision to make for next year?
“No, there is no deadline, no real discussions with Yamaha. I think I need a little time to see the project, the mentality of the team, how it is going with these new engineers. For now I can say that they are taking steps forward, as I said in previous answers, but I think we need to listen to everyone. »
Fabio, first of all, you said that you don't expect Yamaha to fight for wins at the moment, but do you have an idea in mind when that will be possible? Are you thinking about the second half of the season or will it take longer?
“Well, I hope it will be sooner rather than later, but you know, I think the team's plan is also to see, you know, after a few races we have some tests, especially to improve our electronics and the sensations that make us waste time. But it is difficult to predict when the bike will be ready. You know, last year we weren't able to do better than third, so hopefully we can challenge for victory this year on those occasions where we feel capable. But I think we have to take it step by step and not think about winning already, but try to be in the top five and then progress step by step. »
