Fabio Quartararo encountered difficulties with his Yamaha M1 during the first day of testing in Qatar, and he made it known. However, he remains confident due to the changes made by the new technical director, Massimo Bartolini. But the road will be long and strewn with pitfalls in a period where you will have to decide in a few months on what to do with your career...
Despite his best time of 1'52,637 minutes, Fabio Quartararo ranked in tenth position, certainly ahead of his new teammate alex rins 1,602 seconds behind the leader, but more than half a second behind the leader and official Ducati Pecco Bagnaia. Although Yamaha has improved his top speed, Quartararo's main problem remains grip, which does not improve even with new tires. He is determined to find solutions to be more competitive on a lap, even if it means sacrificing tire life.
« The bike looks fast, there was a lot of work in this area over the winter », commented the one who was also beaten by his compatriot Johann zarco, also the best pilot in the clan Honda ... " But that's not our main problem at the moment ". And he explains the problem like this: “I was completely at the limit, it was all I could do. The problem is the same as before. Adhesion is poor. Even if we put on new tires and I start chasing times, I don't notice any improvement. With a tire that has already completed eleven laps, I am barely two tenths of a second slower than with a new tire. This is unacceptable ».
Fabio Quartararo: “ we have to find a way to be faster on a lap »
fabio quartararo is therefore angry and gives his road map for the rest of the operations the next day: “ we have to find a way to be faster on a lap, even if we burn the tires in the process. Because our rhythm is not bad, but if you start outside the top 10, you have no chance of fighting for the podium places ».
A bold strategy must therefore come out of the hat and, fortunately, in the Yamaha box, there is now a man who takes risks: Massimo Bartolini, the new technical director of Yamaha, who recently arrived from Ducati. Although Bartolini is still adapting to the team, Quarterly appreciates his calm and confident approach. He firmly believes that, thanks to their collaboration, Yamaha will be able to regain success and fight for the top places.
« Normally we only make small changes, but thanks to Max, things have now been radically tested and changes have been made. However, we still need a lot of time to be able to truly exploit our potential » we read of the 24-year-old tricolor on speedweek.
« He's only been on the team for a little over a month. Over time, he cannot be expected to know the bike perfectly. But I already like his work he adds. " He always stays calm because he knows that we are very behind at the moment and that we need time to improve. It's also a big challenge for him, because he comes from a manufacturer accustomed to success. But I am convinced that together we will get back to the top ».
MotoGP Test Losail J1: times
Credit classification motogp.com
