MotoGP – Quartararo: "I don't have an extra saved for the race"

June 5, 2021

The Yamaha rider is on a roll and made it clear that he is the main favorite to win on Sunday in Montmeló. Quartararo took pole by 37 thousandths over Jack Miller, but was coming even faster on his final lap when yellow flags for the Australian and Pol Espargaró’s crashes forced him to cut.

As well as his one lap speed, what really impressed was El Diablo ‘s race pace in FP4, where he was also the fastest.

“I’m very happy. I feel good with the bike. Qualifying went well. I had a little more on the last lap, but there was a yellow flag. I don’t have much more left for tomorrow. The pace of 1:39 surprised me. It’s close to the limit. On Sunday you want more and you can more because it’s the day of the race, but I don’t have an extra saved”, commented Quartararo after taking pole.

Fabio already won last year at the Circuit de Catalunya, suffering in the final part after running out of tires and being hit by the Suzukis of Joan Mir and Álex Rins. After qualifying, his only question is which compound he will ride.

“I can have a good race, I just need to decide on the tyre. In FP4 I wanted to try the medium and the hard. They both work well. They give me more or less the same sensations. The times are good. Last year the tires were different from the ones from this year. This morning, with 24 laps, I had a high pace of 1:40. The medium covers the race distance and I will try the hard one in the warm up. Both work very well. It is not difficult to warm up the hard one”, he explained.

Quartararo is going through a sweet moment, perhaps the best of his sports career.

“I had had a similar experience in the CEV [Spanish Championship] in 2014, but you can’t compare Moto3 to MotoGP. Last year I had fantastic moments in Jerez, but then a lot of ups and downs. Apart from Jerez [due to compartment syndrome] , in all places I have felt good this year. My line of work is going well and I want to keep it,” he settled.

The photos of Fabio Quartararo at the 2021 MotoGP Grand Prix of Catalonia

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team, third Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team, third Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team, third Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team, third Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team, third Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team, third Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, second Jack Miller, Ducati Team