During the first free practice session in Portimao, the Yamaha team suffered some problems in the rain. With his best representative in 18th position, Fabio Quartararo was unable to improve his time in the second free practice, unlike Andrea Dovizioso and Franco Morbidelli.
The Frenchman is 20th in the combined classification before the start of the second day. However, the defending champion is not so worried, as he believes that his times do not reflect his true potential.
“When there is little grip we suffer a lot, and today my position is bad but my sensations are not so bad”, summed up Quartararo , encouraged by the performances of the rest of the brand’s representatives.
That “something” found by El Diablo is linked to his feelings about the rear of the prototype. “I am a very sensitive rider at the rear. I feel like it slides away from me very easily,” explained the Frenchman of his M1 after finishing the first day of the weekend.
“I have to adapt a little better and I’ve started to understand today. Honestly, the position is very bad, but my feelings weren’t that bad,” insisted the boy from the Côte d’Azur. “I feel like we still have a lot to do, but I would say motorcycling is not easy.”
Fabio Quartararo had particular difficulty in the second sector, and this part of the circuit, known worldwide as a ‘roller coaster’, cost him half of his delay over the best drivers.
“I saw that I lost seven tenths in three corners, and they are corners that are not easy, but I am more on the limit and I am losing time.”
“I can save time by riding more calmly and thinking more about the start, putting more power. I feel like I’m more at the limit in what I do than I should. That’s why I think the position is very bad, but my sensations are not as bad”, concluded the Frenchman.
