This Saturday, November 5, 2022, fabio quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Ricardo Tormo circuit at the end of the second day of the Valencian Community Grand Prix.
Despite, or because of, the almost impossible mission that awaits him tomorrow, the French driver does not feel any pressure and will give everything to take up the gauntlet, but is already satisfied with the great work done this year.
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is partially translated (vouvoiement for English, tutoiement for French).
fabio quartararo : " I feel good. I even feel really good! Today was one of the best Saturdays of the season. To be honest, FP4 was really good, the pace was very good and in the last lap we changed something in the electronics and it worked better. So it's certain that it will be better for the first laps at race pace. And on the time-attack, we know that we are still struggling but today, I decided to go all out. It's two tenths from pole again, but we're P4 and I'm very happy with my position. »
Today, do you believe a little more in a miracle for the title?
« I don't think about that, I think about winning. If I win the race, maybe something will happen. But my main goal for tomorrow will be to fight for victory, because that's the only thing I can do on my own. I think we're in a really good trend and we're starting in a really good position. The pace is good. For the tires it's pretty clear, so I feel confident. »
Will you have Pecco information on your dashboard or is the only thing that really matters is first place?
“Yes, that’s the most important thing. It's been since Germany that we haven't been fighting for victory, so it will be super important for me to fight until the last lap, and I'm already pretty happy with my weekend. There's still one day missing and I can't wait until tomorrow. It's quite hot because I have to ride the bike and… It's difficult. We don't have an easy bike: In turn 1, the bike moves when braking when entering the corner. But I feel confident. »
Can you win starting from the second row?
« Oui ! Oui. Et vous savez, pendant la saison, vous ne faites
jamais… Je ne sais pas si “idiot” est le mot correct mais un
dépassement “étrange”, avec de gros risques pour faire un
dépassement, mais demain c’est le jour où je peux faire tout ce que
je veux (rires). J’aurais besoin de le faire et, vous savez, ce
n’est pas une très bonne position d’être 23 points derrière, mais
dans cette situation je pense que c’est le seul point positif que
je peux trouver. »
Mentally, do you feel better than in Misano last year?
« Yes ! And you know, before Misano too, I was also a lot more nervous because I was really fighting for the title two races before the end. It was different. But the thing is, arriving at the last race like that, of course my situation is just to go hard. For this race, it will be good. »
With the three boys on the first row of the grid also having something to prove, it will be very aggressive…
« I don't have to prove anything but I also have to win (laughs). But of course it's going to be a race where we need to be aggressive, but we need to be smart, because the tires are certainly consistent but, in the past, you've always seen the first 20 laps go really well and then go degrade rather quickly during the last seven laps. But I feel confident and the wear is better than expected, but of course we have to be really aggressive from the start. »
Whatever happens tomorrow, will you be proud of your title defense?
« Yes ! Of course, I made some mistakes, we made some mistakes with the team, but you know, considering what happened for us at the start of the season, I think I'm very happy and I learned a lot this season. So like I said, whatever happens tomorrow afternoon I will be happy. »
Could the rear wings tested by Cal Crutchlow help you?
« I don't want to have any distractions. I've been doing this all year, today too, and the pace was one of the fastest. So I won't try them tomorrow. Of course, I will test them on Tuesday in the test but I already spoke with Cal when he tried them in Jerez, and I am in contact with him. »
Do you like them? Because they seem very big compared to those of the Ducati…
« I must not really like them: They must just work (laughs). »
What is your weak point? And can you improve it during the Warm up?
« We know where the problem is. From the start line to turn 1, there is already a good part on speed, but on time-attack, even more. In the last sector, we lack a lot of grip compared to the others. So I think in turn 1 and turn 4 we lack grip with the new tires. With the worn tires, we are quite similar, but from the last corner to the first corner, we know that we lose more than a tenth. In turn 1 I will do my best but it is not an easy job. »
What did you think of Pecco today?
« To be honest, I don't care! It's funny because on TV it looks like it's just the two of us running, him and me. It's just me and him on TV, but ultimately I have to focus on myself. Like I said, it's not like we only have five points difference and we're fighting close: We have a huge gap. So what matters to me is winning, then what he does is not my problem. So I'm only focused on myself. »
Do you have any advice for two younger drivers who are also fighting for the championship?
« Je me moque également de ça (rires). Pour être honnête, quand
votre objectif est aussi clair dans votre tête, je n’accorde aucune
énergie à penser à d’autres choses. Vous savez, parfois même vous
vous dites “OK, le plan pour commencer la course sera comme ça et
comme ça”, et à la fin quand vous arrivez au premier virage, vous
n’avez finalement pas de plan. Et finalement c’est bien car il n’y
a aucun plan qui fonctionne à 100 %. C’est la chose
principale. »
Do you fear interference like Marco Bezzecchi almost did in Malaysia?
« There's no problem, we're all racing against each other. And of course I can answer. So it's pretty normal, since we're all racing. Of course, if the maneuver is really dirty and the driver isn't fighting for the championship, it's not really okay, but OK, Bez was close in Malaysia but didn't attempt a stupid overtake. »
Did Yamaha change anything for the start because of your finger?
« Yes, but it's not really because of my finger. There he is convalescing but I was injured when I was a child and that's the problem because here we use the sidewall of the tire a lot, and I have to get as low as possible. We modified it but so I wanted to reverse it and put the holeshot at the bottom and the clutch at the top, but that wasn't possible (laughs).
»
Grand Prix Qualification 2 Results MotoGP of the Valencian Community on the Ricardo Tormo circuit:
Grand Prix Qualification 1 Results MotoGP of the Valencian Community on the Ricardo Tormo circuit:
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
