This Saturday, November 13, 2021, Fabio Quartararo answered questions from journalists from the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste (Valencia), at the end of the second day of the Valencian Community Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the French world champion pilot, who had a double revenge to take, both in his last race and in those contested in Valencia last year, but is currently only in 8th position on the grid after a difficult Friday.
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).
Your qualification resembles that of last week in Portugal, with a good FP4 but no more problems in Q2…
fabio quartararo : " Last week we made a mistake in FP4 but for me the qualification was just due to circumstances where we changed something that didn't work. Today FP4 was very good, I had a very good FP4, but to be honest we are in a bad situation. I don't know if it comes from the track or not, but two years ago we were able to have a much better pace. We were in 1'29, and last year Franco (Morbidelli) rode in 1'30.0 if I'm not mistaken, and we are both seven tenths slower. I'm really not happy with the way things went and I'd like to understand why, because when braking, even with the hard tire, you're already too soft. It's hard to understand and I would like to know why I had such a bad feeling today. »
Seeing Pecco Bagnaia's performances in the second half of the season, do you agree that you won your title in the first half of the season?
« No ! My championship was won from the first race until Misano. I won it in Misano so we were able to get a lot of podiums in the second half, so for me I won it in the first and second half."
You're not happy but it's still much better than yesterday, because you made a jump between FP3 and FP4. So what did you find, which you apparently missed in qualifying since you say you had a bad feeling there?
« The front tire. Between FP3 and FP4, we simply changed the front tire for a hard one and I had a better feeling. But in qualifying I had no feeling from the front, no support, the turning ability was very poor and I was not able to do a (fast) lap. I did two laps in 1'30"6 and it looked like I was racing for pole position! I felt extremely on the limit for nothing! To be honest, it's quite strange and sad not knowing what's going on. Yes, we have to understand because it will be a long race tomorrow, and I still don't know why we are so slow. »
It's not necessarily a Ducati circuit but their performances were impressive today. Are you worried about 2022?
« For a circuit that is not a Ducati circuit, we have four riders in the top five: I think it's a bit of a Ducati circuit now! All these drivers are very fast, but the thing is that two years ago we won pole and we had a pace of just 1'30 in qualifying, and currently doing 1'30 is just a nightmare. So it's hard to understand what's going on. We're missing a lot so I'm curious to see why we're so far away. »
There will be even more Ducatis on the grid next year. Will this make racing even more difficult for you?
« Yes ! Yes, for sure because I would say “no more Ducati, no more problems!”. Because it's really very difficult for us to overtake, and it also seems like they've taken a big step forward on the bike, not just on the engine, but how fast they have on a lap and during the race! I think this is the first time this year they've done one–two–three. They've done a lot of one-twos, and today one-two-three, so all their riders have reached a big milestone, and since Ducati has also reached a big milestone, we have to hit a big milestone because we are way too far. »
You say you are 7 tenths slower than you were two years ago. Do you think it's a tire allocation problem that doesn't correspond to the specifics of the track and the bike?
« I don't understand. It's certain that the front tire doesn't help us in this race but, honestly, we can't be 7 tenths off compared to two years ago. What is happening right now is incomprehensible, especially on this circuit. But hey, after all, honestly, more than that in terms of race pace, in FP4 we weren't that bad, but the more laps we do the more trouble we have: The front tire becomes chewing gum , and it's the hard tire, so it's hard to understand. But then, honestly, last year I really wanted to put myself in (X?), etc., so honestly I try not to focus too much on that and to forget a little bit. »
Results of Qualification 2 of the MotoGP Valencian Community Grand Prix:
Results of Qualification 1 of the MotoGP Valencian Community Grand Prix:
Credit Ranking: motogp.com
