A mixed Saturday for Fabio Quartararo, on a Barcelona circuit that he nevertheless loves. The Frenchman concluded the last Sprint of the season in 10th place, on the edge of the points zone. A position that he nevertheless held at the start of the last lap: unfortunately, the Yamaha was no match for the power of the KTM of Brad Binder, who took 9th place – and therefore , from the last point in contention – in the final loop.
A sad conclusion to a day which nevertheless looked promising: after having snatched his qualification in Q2 with the 2nd time of Q1, the 2021 world champion – starting 10th – had ideally started his Sprint by climbing to 6th place from the first turns. However, against the Ducati, the Aprilia and the KTM of the South African, the Niçois was not able to keep his place in the Top 9, the fault of a delicate Yamaha which, as is often the case, cruelly lacks engine. “We see that we clearly lack power and grip, regretted Fabio Quartararo at the microphone of Canal+, after the Sprint. These are the problems we have had for far too long. We know that we have the potential to do much better, but unfortunately the bike does not allow it for the moment. »
Quartararo goes « try to have fun » for the last GP of the year
“This point would not have changed anything in this race. We had the pace to be faster but we were clearly blocked, so unfortunately I couldn't overtake, he confided, disappointed but not dejected to have failed so close to the points. It was good to see Marc [Marquez] quite close to me but I think he had a problem in the third corner. We cannot attempt the slightest overtaking. The one I did on Bezzecchi is not a typical overtake. Quite simply, we risk everything [pour dépasser]. I didn't know if I was going to hit him or not, so it's not pure overreach. It's difficult because our speed is very low and the grip is even worse. We are working on it but this track is really demanding on these two aspects. »
This Sunday, Fabio Quartararo will conclude what is undeniably the most complicated season of his career in MotoGP. The Frenchman hopes to finish on a positive note, having shown good performances in recent weeks despite a Yamaha still falling short of the competition. “I will give my best, I will try to have fun, declared the Nice resident. I sure had fun during [le Sprint] but it's frustrating to see the lack of potential we have at the moment, especially on this circuit. That said, I think this is one of the first sprints where we finished less than six seconds, so there is still a little bit of positive in this situation. We're going to try to do well and stop thinking about the bike for a few months. It will feel good”
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