Thursday, February 3, 2022

MotoGP, Quartararo: “I’m still on zero wins, poles don’t count”

The same result a year later. Fabio Quartararo has made a great start to his second season in the premier class with his seventh pole position in the category (and the Frenchman with the most poles) in just 20 Grands Prix, confirming he is a true prodigy among the current MotoGP riders. A Pole with authority after solving yesterday’s problems, which allowed Fabio to quickly reach the level of the top guys.

“I’m delighted to be the Frenchman with the most pole positions in MotoGP – he says – but the most important fact is the zero wins. From yesterday to today I’ve improved a lot, especially with the changes in FP2: I attacked for the first time this morning and it was going well, while in the afternoon I was struggling with more grip than expected, but the result was excellent. I made a small mistake on the lap at turn 6 and at turn 11 the yellow flags slowed me down a bit, so I could have maybe been a few hundredths faster. “

Fabio has undoubtedly grown mentally over the past year and he’s proven it He reflects on the different approach he now uses in the different sessions.

“Last year I was often obsessed with finishing on top in every session, but then I couldn’t do it in the race or at the most important moment: I understood that I have to work on the pace, which I’ve been doing these days I still don’t think I’m at the level of Marquez and Vinales.”

So the thought obviously turns around tomorrow’s race, in view of this, the young Frenchman remains firmly on the ground …

“I don’t have a strategy yet, but a small change towards the end of FP4 should help me. I don’t think I can separate myself from the others Marc has better pace than me. The tires shouldn’t be a problem, at least from what came up in FP4, when I did 25 laps in a row without deteriorating particularly badly. I’m not worried about overheating the front end, at least not on a track with short straights like this one. “

The problem that concerns Fabio the most is his bike, which he is still discovering day after day…

“Top speed remains the weak point, but we have other strengths. I’m not sure if the 2020 prototype is more difficult to ride than the 2019, I’ve yet to find the confidence that I’ve achieved race after race on the other bike. The potential is not lacking, but just by many kilometers I can understand everything that is needed for this bike.

Vinales: “To win the World Cup I have to beat Marquez, the favourite”

Start next to Quartararo will be outsider Vinales, who showed his muscles in qualifying after a not particularly good morning. “I didn’t expect such a fast lap – he explained – but both the track and the tires reacted well”.

It will also be a very important race for the Spanish Yamaha rider, looking for the right consistency to be able to fight for the title.

“Tomorrow I will try to push straight away but I have to see how I handle the tyres. It’s going to be a hard and hot race: cOf course it will be important to start well and set your own pace, and I have to take advantage of the excellent grip of the tires in the last few laps”.

For Vinales, the goal can only be victory, but Maverick has other things on his mind…

“To win the championship you have to beat Marc who is the favorite and that’s not easy. For my part, I think I still have to improve a bit, but tomorrow I have a chance to win. I don’t think I’ll have problems fighting with the other Yamahas and the Honda, with the Ducati it’s harder to overtake, because I can’t use the speed in corners to get close to them and then it becomes difficult to overtake while braking.

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