Motegi.- Despite having lost 81 points to Pecco Bagnaia in the last five races, Fabio Quartararo does not believe that the narrow margin he has at the head of the World Championship will condition him when he gets on the bike.
If there is something that can directly make the Frenchman drive differently, at least this weekend, in Motegi, it is the abrasion on his chest that he suffered last Sunday, in the fall suffered in the first lap of the Grand Prix . from Aragon .
That outcome is the latest of the calamities that have befallen the Devil, who after a first half of the season in which he seemed to have the championship under control, has seen how everything is turning against him.
“I can’t do anything. We are in the top three at 17 points, and any of the three can win the championship,” the Yamaha rider resigned at the press conference prior to the Japanese Grand Prix .
“The abrasion on the chest will be there, but I don’t think it will be an impediment beyond the first few laps,” explained the rider, who had to be treated for chest burns on Sunday at Motorland, a track where he has never he has had good results, unlike Motegi, where he was very fast in 2019 as a rookie, the last race held here.
“We are competitive on all tracks. In Aragon we had never been competitive, and last weekend we were until the crash.”
A new destabilizing element this weekend may be the rain indicated by the forecasts.
“I don’t think we have to be worried if the race is in the wet. We have improved a lot in driving in those conditions,” he recalls.
Despite the fact that the first three in the World Cup are in a handkerchief, Quartararo does not rule out the fourth in discord, an Enea Bastianini who is 48 points behind.
“I think Enea is a little less likely to be a candidate for the title because he is a little further away, but as a rival, I see him as strong as Aleix Espargaró and Pecco”, he conceded.
A novelty never seen in Motegi will be the active rear regulators, something that can affect the race.
“I think if the race is dry, the rear height adjusters are going to be important here and they will make the times change, faster than in the past.”
Despite the fact that the circumstances are not being the best for Quartararo, the Frenchman does not fit that he should adopt a conservative attitude.
“I always try to drive to the maximum. I learned that in 2020. So, every time I took a point from Joan Mir, I was happy. That my advantage has become ten points (over Bagnaia) I don’t think it affects either piloting”, settled.
