A championship scare

October 3, 2022

In Thailand , the Frenchman crossed the finish line in 17th, which is his second worst result since his debut in MotoGP , in 2019. If in that 2020 Aragon Grand Prix (it was 18th) he finished 21 seconds behind the winner (Alex Rins), this time it was 34 that separated him from Miguel Oliveira. Despite the fact that Fabio Quartararo left the circuit without attending to the journalists, there are several indications that lead one to think that the key to his poor performance in the race was due to the pressure of the front tire, which went through the roof and, in Consequently, it reduced grip on both the front and rear axles. That effect became more apparent with soggy tarmac and scratched compounds. That’s what both Cal Crutchlow and Franco Morbidelli complained about, the other two riders who compete with the same bike specification as the #20.

“The rain exaggerates the problems with our bike. The only thing I could do was overtake him under braking. But of course, braking so hard causes the pressure to go up, so you’re between a rock and a hard place,” Crutchlow said. , who for most of the test rode in front of Quartararo, although he finally finished behind (19th). “It was very difficult for me to consider overtaking at the moment when the front tire pressure shot up,” agreed Morbidelli. Asked by Motorsport.com why this effect is primed with Yamaha , the Italian did not know very well what to answer. “What happens is that the level has become much the same, and we subject the tires to a lot of stress, both during braking and acceleration. And that makes us form a train that is very difficult to get out of,” added the #21 .

The pressure to which the current champion is subjected is evident and understandable, a feeling ratified by his fear of the Buriram paddock.

“Fabio has not spoken to us after the race, because he was very disappointed and frustrated. He went straight to his office to calm down,” said Massimo Meregalli , Yamaha team manager. Neither the frustration due to this alleged pressure problem, nor the unquestionable lack of punch of his Yamaha, should be arguments powerful enough to motivate such a sit-in. If that were the yardstick, Franco Morbidelli , his neighbor in the workshop of the official structure of the tuning fork brand, would not have appeared at a single meeting with the press, and yet the Roman was not remember a mistake.

Quartararo has not won since June, in Germany , before the summer break. The 34-point margin he had at that moment with respect to his closest rival (Aleix Espargaró) has been reduced to just two and over Pecco Bagnaia. The crossing of data with that of Ducati is the most striking of the whole matter and helps to understand the anxiety that the Yamaha flagship must suffer, seeing how the title slips from his hands without his enormous talent allowing him prevent it.

Since that race at the Sachsenring there have been seven Grand Prix, in which the boy from Nice has only added 47 points, 20 of them at once, thanks to the second place achieved in Austria , on the only occasion in which he became to get on the podium. Bagnaia ‘s trajectory in that same period has been diametrically opposed to that of his rival, given that the Turinese has been able to accumulate 136 points of the 175 that have been distributed, that is, 89 points more than Quartararo, the equivalent of the loot of almost four tests.

At this point it will be necessary to see how the Devil faces the most decisive section of the course and if he is capable of turning the understandable feeling of impotence that should invade him into momentum. Above all, after having opted for a future with Yamaha.

However, one day after his zero in Buriram, he posted a message on his social networks : “What a nightmare… Unfortunately, we had a terrible race and we couldn’t score any points.”

“After a really good weekend in dry (conditions), it rained just before our race,” the Frenchman wrote. “We used to be fast this year (in the wet), but somehow we had difficulties, problems and a terrible feeling. I want to thank the Thai fans and see you next year! It’s time to restart, train and prepare for the Phillip Island Race!”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP