The leader of the championship started the weekend in Misano very blurred, where he qualified 18th in FP1, more than three seconds behind Johann Zarco, the fastest, in a session marked by rain. It didn’t rain at all in the afternoon, but the tarmac didn’t dry out completely and the mixed conditions brought all the problems of the M1 to light.
Contrary to the last practice sessions held in the wet, Quartararo finished happy and highlighted the step forward taken. Quite the opposite of the mixed asphalt, where he couldn’t even improve his time when it dried out and finished FP2 in 16th place.
“With the rain, in the afternoon, I felt very good with the bike. Then, as soon as it dries, it’s like riding a totally different bike. But it’s not just me, all Yamahas have problems in those conditions. Maybe you can ask all the Yamaha riders. As soon as I stopped, I put a medium front, a new soft rear and it was going very badly, almost a second slower than the previous lap with a track that was drier. The bike does not turn, it does not rise, it does not go so well. All the defects that you can have in these types of conditions are there, ” El Diablo explained.
“In the wet, I wouldn’t say we’re very happy, but we’ve made big steps since the last time we were here, because we’ve made a huge change and it was good. In the mixed conditions I don’t know why we’re doing so badly. We have to understand why what,” he added.
The weather forecast predicts rain for Saturday, so it is very likely that the #20 will have to go through Q1.
“I gave my all to try to be in the top 10. A little disappointed that I wasn’t, but I take it as something really positive for the future because not every day you have the opportunity to ride in the wet, and this year it hasn’t been many. days and I think today has been good. The day hasn’t gone as expected, but a day like this is quite positive”, he affirmed.
On the opposite side to Yamaha are the Ducati , which led both practices.
“The Ducatis are really difficult to beat because they have the power, the acceleration, and in the wet it shows even more than in the dry. I speak with Andrea [Dovizioso] and he knows it better than me, he has ridden the Ducati. Right now he has explained that it’s quite difficult with our bike. So I think we don’t have to dream too soon in the wet,” he said in reference to the race.
Precisely on Sunday will be the day when Quartararo will have an appointment with history. If he is ahead of Pecco Bagnaia he will be proclaimed MotoGP world champion, but until then he says he has no pressure.
“I had a lot more pressure in Austin than here. I’m much calmer, I don’t notice anything special at the moment. Maybe on Sunday I have more pressure, but now I don’t notice anything,” he said.
The 22-year-old pilot was also asked about the decision of the FIM and Dorna to increase the minimum age to reach the World Championship.
“I think it’s not a big change. I think there is no MotoGP rider who has arrived before the age of 16. The Spanish Championship is 14 years old and if Moto3 is 18 I feel that it is not that useful,” he settled.
(Click on this link or on the image to see the photos of Fabio Quartararo at the 2021 MotoGP Emilia Romagna GP)
