Fabio Quartararo finished Saturday’s Sprint in 13th position, just behind Miguel Oliveira. The French Yamaha rider was involved in a very lively group throughout the race, but he wasn’t able to make any overtaking moves to move up the standings, although he admits that it was the best Yamaha he’s had in his hands all weekend so far:
– The bike was good. It was the best we had. Compared to the others it’s a different story, but for us it was very good. (…) The problem was that I could brake, but then when they opened the throttle… with the power they have, with the grip and less wheelie than us… I got close, they got away, I got close, they got away… I couldn’t even try to overtake. They brake very late and then they have more grip, more traction and more power, and in the end, when I’m alone, the Yamaha’s riding style is completely different. I can’t ride the bike the way I want to, and that’s been the problem for me since 2019.
The 2021 world champion also said in the debrief that the Ducati is the favorite on any circuit, regardless of whether there is a lot or little grip on the track:
– The grip for us was better than in Barcelona, but I don’t see the Ducati struggling anywhere. When the grip is low they win, when there’s a lot of grip they win. So I don’t think it’s a problem for them, it’s a problem for us.
When asked about his prospects for the long race, Quartararo also said that he hopes he can enjoy it more, admitting that he is frustrated at not being able to overtake:
– I don’t know. If it’s the same race, not so good. Because it’s very frustrating not to try to overtake… it’s not not trying, it’s not overtaking. But I’ll try to enjoy it, because I didn’t manage to enjoy all the laps of the Sprint race.