This Thursday, November 18, 2021, Fabio Quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Ángel Nieto Circuit in Jerez, at the end of the first day of MotoGP testing marking the start of the 2022 season.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French pilot, visibly disappointed.
As usual, we report here the words of Fabio Quartararo without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement in English, tutoiement in French).
Have you tried the 2022 engine and what are your impressions?
fabio quartararo : " Hello everyone ! We tried a bike very similar to the one in the Misano test. To be honest, it was the Misano bike, then we tried more parts like a new swingarm and electronics. But it was a test very similar to Misano. »
Did you feel any progress?
« More work needs to be done to feel improvement. As you can imagine, this bike is the first step and we hope for much better for the test at Sepang. »
Did you expect better or did you already know it would be like this?
« We have one more test day tomorrow to try various parts, but yes, I expected a little more, and I hope they saved the best for Sepang. Having more speed is the thing we need. »
Is Jerez a good circuit to try the new bikes?
« For me it's a good circuit to test the chassis. As for the engines, it's difficult because the straight is very small and you can't see well. But what I am sure of is that the Ducatis have 18 km/h more in this straight line. We still have a lot of work to do! »
Have you tried a new chassis?
“No, I didn't have a new chassis today, only my 2021 bike and a new bike which was the one from Misano, but which had an aluminum colored frame in Misano and which is now black. But it's the same, it's not something new. With this, we are looking for not a cornering speed but a little more turning in slow corners. »
Does it worry you that the real new things only arrive at Sepang?
« Let's say we have three months to find that power, but to be honest I wouldn't say the 2021 bike is perfect but our base is very good. We just lack top speed and aerodynamics a lot, a lot. That’s why I’m pushing Yamaha so much, to have this at Sepang. Here, you don't really see that but I expected the bike is more or less the same as the test in Misano. »
You didn't want to give too many details but do you still feel a small difference in engine behavior, perhaps at low revs? And were you able to look at what was in the other teams?
« It's not that I didn't want to give details, it's that there are no more details than in Misano. We have the same bike and honestly I didn't feel a big difference with last year's bike, especially in terms of power even though that's what I asked to be the biggest difference. Honestly, we didn't stop today and I didn't really look at what the other drivers had. So we'll have to see tomorrow if we see anything, and especially if we manage to try something interesting. »
We feel a little disappointed... Am I wrong?
« No, you're not wrong (laughs). Honestly, I expected better because we've been working on the bike for quite a while. I'm doing my best and I'm sure Yamaha is too, but it's true that I expected a little better on this first day. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to tell you the opposite. »
Will this disappointment felt today encourage you to delay the negotiations for 2023?
« Well, to be honest I think it's still early. I don't want to sign something at least before Malaysia. I want to see the evolution of our bike, because I already don't find it normal to sign for 2023 without having started 2022. I know where my value is and we have to wait a little bit to see how the team positions itself with Yamaha , and above all to see the evolution that there is, or not, with the new bike at Sepang. »
Results from the first day of MotoGP testing at the Jerez circuit:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
