After being the leader of the Sachsenring, the Yamaha rider signed a record that allowed him to position himself 116 thousandths behind the unbeatable poleman on Saturday, Pecco Bagnaia. However, this does not scare the Frenchman, who sees himself with options to return to the top of the podium.
“It was the best lap I could have done [today], maybe I could have done a little better at Turn 15, but it wasn’t for pole,” said the Yamaha rider after qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix. “So I’m very happy with this second position.”
“I tried my best today. In the first sector, I think that the first three or four corners I was going a little faster [than Bagnaia], but I was over the limit and I had to pass” he analyzed about the scare that his bike, preventing him from completing one more fast lap. “Better to go through turn five than turn six, so nothing, happy because second place is a very good place to start the race.”
In addition, ‘El Diablo’ has a great advantage, and that is that the Assen track has been favorable for Yamaha in the past, which allows the Frenchman to arrive motivated at the 11th round of the year. Likewise, he sees the change in the behavior of the tire with respect to the previous race as one of the keys for Sunday.
“Here at Assen the front row is a little less important than at the Sachsenring, because there are more overtaking points, but above all the biggest difference is that here the tire is not used like in Germany, so even if you are a little behind, it is different. But this front row is very positive, let’s make a good start,” Quartararo continued. “I think with the pace we have, we can fight for victory.”
“Aleix [Espargaró] made a different strategy in FP4, he started with soft tyres, but we opted for medium and hard to make the comparisons. So, let’s see what happens tomorrow. The truth is that Pecco [Bagnaia] and I had this afternoon a slightly stronger pace than the others”, explained the French driver about his closest rival in qualifying and the one in the race on the Dutch track.
Fabio Quartararo ended his speech before the media by diving into the fight for this season’s World Cup, pointing out those he believes are the most direct rivals for the 2023 wound.
“Choosing a rival in the championship is a question that I am asked every weekend, but it is difficult to answer. Pecco [Bagnaia] is far away, but there are more than 250 points at stake and anything can happen. Bagnaia is still fighting for the championship, as well as Aleix [Espargaró]. But there is also Johann Zarco. For me, the three are the most dangerous from a world perspective.”
Fabio Quartararo arrived in Assen as the leader of the championship and that is how he will leave the track in the Netherlands no matter what happens, after a test in which he intends to consolidate his leadership before the summer break.
