Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Sunday June 30, 2024 at 9:55 p.m.
Only 12th in the Dutch Grand Prix this Sunday at Assen, Fabio Quartararo assured that his Yamaha could not do much better.
Fabio Quartararo was not smiling. Starting from 12th position on the starting grid, the Yamaha rider finished the Dutch Grand Prix in the same position. Stating after the race that “there was no real strategy”, the French rider regretted not having “managed to have a good rhythm from the start”. “We got a bit stuck behind the front group, my rhythm wasn’t great either,” he added at the microphone of Canal+. We will quickly have to find a solution because we are clearly in a bit of difficulty. » Coming to Assen with improvements, particularly in terms of the engine after a fairly conclusive test in Valencia, Fabio Quartararo assumes that the “cathedral” was not the best circuit for his Yamaha. “Even if we are taking steps forward, we saw that we were really struggling on this circuit,” added the 2021 world champion. “We will try to find a little something for the Sachsenring, even if it is a circuit that will not suit us at all. » For this Dutch Grand Prix, the Frenchman chose the soft tire at the rear, when most of the grid opted for the medium, with the hope that the extra grip would help him. help in the first laps of the race.
Quartararo: “The pace was too slow”
Which didn’t translate onto the track, even if it’s not just down to the tire. “With the soft tire, the grip was very poor for us,” he confirmed. We also saw it with Alex Rins, with the medium in the first corner, clearly the grip was not very good for us. » A situation which did not allow him to have an offensive driving style during the 26 laps, even if he confides having felt “perhaps a little better than mid-race but the pace was too slow”. What poses the most problem to Fabio Quartararo and the Yamaha team is the lack of explanation for this pace below expectations, which will require “analyses, taking as much data as possible and trying to progress” with a bike that is struggling in a number of areas compared to the competition. The only positive point is that “El Diablo” did not suffer as much on his arms as during the Italian Grand Prix, even if the pain was still there. “I expected it to be worse than Mugello but honestly, I felt pretty good,” he concluded. Obviously, I was in pain but it had no influence on my result and I was able to ride at my own pace from start to finish, as usual. » Fabio Quartararo will now hope to turn his head around next weekend at the Sachsenring.
