fabio quartararo had amazed everyone at the first Grand Prix of the year in Qatar by entering the second row of the starting grid. He then showed himself solid during the following two meetings, before, this time, bringing back a convincing result: a pole position. A performance in Jerez which allowed him to overcome a certain Marc Márquez tablets in the precocity of the exploit. The latter could have resulted in, at least, a podium at the end of this Spanish Grand Prix before the mechanics decided otherwise. But the 20-year-old Frenchman had already entered another dimension.
The Saturday, Quarterly had only friends in the paddock and on Sunday he had even more admirers. His getaway to Andalusia established his legitimacy in MotoGP and anchored him in the landscape. A new situation that will have to be managed. If Fabio can count on the humanity and empathy of his eating Eric Mahe, he can also rely on his Petronas team which is only new on paper. Because it is made up of experienced men.
And among these, there is a Wilco Zeelenberg who understood the value of the nugget present in his box: “ I've been watching it since the CEV era because it's a high-level championship. He pretty much destroyed everyone there, his talent was clear, if a little raw. Yamaha has been watching him for a while » declared the Batavian, team leader of Quarterly at Petronas Yamaha SRT. “ Four years ago, Lin Jarvis, asked me who I would see on the track and who had made a good impression, so I mentioned Fabio. When Dani Pedrosa decided to end his racing career and not join our new team in 2019, Fabio was at the top of our list " did he declare.
« His raw talent has always been there and we are confident we can handle it » insists the Petronas Yamaha Team Manager. “ You must first start working with a driver by trying to understand it. Sometimes Fabio's emotions were too strong, so we talked to him and told him to calm down a little: "if you're taking a quick turn and someone gets in your way, don't get angry, just keep going and you continue again. Fabio is a brilliant mind and he listens ».
Zeelenberg continues on speedweek : " we tell him during every test session that he has to start feeling the bike, because that's his strength. If you don't feel the bike, you come into the pits, we'll work on the bike and you wait to get the feel. This is one of the reasons why it does not hang and can be fast because it waits for the right moment ».
Quarterly has a smooth, fluid driving style, much like Jorge Lorenzo, Alex Rins ou Johann zarco. This style fits current Michelin tires. Furthermore, the M1 is the best bike for MotoGP beginners. Note that, in Wilco's comments, there is mention of close monitoring by the Yamaha factory. The contract of Valentino Rossi comes to an end at the end of 2020…
