Fabio Quartararo finished the Dutch Grand Prix in 12th place. Starting from 12th position on the grid, he completed the first lap in 13th place, before gradually increasing his pace. From the start he was put under pressure by Miguel Oliveiraa situation which continued until Oliveira pulled away with 10 laps to go, allowing Quarterly to gain some room to maneuver. Despite his efforts to catch up Jack Miller in front of him, he never managed to overtake. When Pedro Acosta fell on the last lap, Quarterly finished the race in 12th place, 24.057 seconds behind first.
« I expected to do better at the start, especially in the first laps” commented Fabio Quartararo. ” With the soft tires, grip was poor. Throughout the race, the grip was much less than I expected. I couldn’t push much. Then I felt a little better from halfway through, but the pace was already too slow. »
He added : ” For us Yamaha, not much has changed but looking at the others they are much faster everywhere and we can’t understand this. For my part, I can only bring my experience and my feedback, but I’m neither a genius nor an engineer. The most I can do is give as much data to Yamaha as possible. This weekend I had the chance to follow some of them and the difference is clear. We finished 24 seconds behind Bagnaia, so it’s clear that we’re still far away. We need to try to understand why we have these grip problems in all conditions. We still have no explanation for the problem we had. »
After the Saturday Sprint, Johann Zarco and his team LCR Honda knew that the choice of tires would be crucial due to the track conditions. They opted for the medium compound on the rear and front of the bike. As the laps went by, Zarco handled the situation intelligently and without making any mistakes, eventually crossing the finish line in 13th position, pocketing valuable points and ranking as the first rider Honda in the hierarchy.
« We have taken a good step forward” commented Zarco. « Fighting for points was important for us. Compared to the Sprint, we controlled the situation better, which is positive. We work hard to keep up with our competitors. Overall I felt comfortable on the bike and I’m glad I enjoyed this race. »
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However, Zarco tempers any excessive enthusiasm, recognizing the technical and sporting crisis still ongoing at HRC: “ when I look into the future, for example at Fabio, there is just a big gap. And Fabio himself is still far from being at the top. One thing is clear, It is absolutely unrealistic to talk about a podium. If we fight for victory ourselves next year, it would be a surprise. »
While Fabio Quartararo et Johann Zarco managed to score points shaftsthe reality remains difficult for the two French pilots. Yamaha et Honda must still overcome many technical challenges to allow their drivers to fight at the front of the race. The next race Sachsenring will be a new opportunity to see if progress can be made and if the necessary adjustments will bear fruit.
