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Fabio Quartararo Faces Uncertainty Following Impressive Friday at MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix

Fabio Quartararo found himself baffled by the exceptional speed of his Yamaha during the initial practice sessions at the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix. Although the 2021 world champion had a solid qualifying performance in Qatar, he did not anticipate sustaining the same momentum on the challenging low-grip circuit at Jerez.

As the French rider displayed potential for a top practice time, his momentum was abruptly interrupted by a crash at the final corner during what seemed to be a promising lap. Despite this setback, Quartararo managed to return to the track with his primary M1 machine, albeit with some minor damages, and still clocked the fifth-fastest time, securing his place in Q2.

Given the circumstances, finishing within half a second of the fastest time set by Alex Marquez and just behind championship leader Marc Marquez indicated a solid opportunity for the weekend ahead. Quartararo commented, “The pace was good, unfortunately [I had] the crash, but it was a positive day. I have confidence, especially on the front.”

Expressing his satisfaction with the bike’s front-end feel, he acknowledged the challenge of finding the limit while pushing hard: “I’m really happy and the front feeling of our bike is incredible. But when you push too much, you find a limit like in that last corner [Lorenzo].”

However, Quartararo remained puzzled about the Yamaha’s competitiveness in Spain, stating, “I want to understand why we were fast today. You know I have a good feeling, but there is no reason that we are able to go fast at a track like Jerez where the grip is not fantastic.” He reflected on the unexpected performance after sustaining damage during his crash, remarking, “After a crash, [with] the bike missing one wing, the steering handlebars like that [not straight], we are only two tenths from Marc. It’s not really logical. We have to understand.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s qualifying session, Quartararo expressed optimism about his performance, which he hoped would lead to a strong finish in the race, especially after his fifth-place result in Qatar. However, he expressed concerns about the grand prix on Sunday, recalling his struggle that saw him drop to seventh place in the previous race. “Tomorrow morning we know that we will go faster, because the temperature will be lower,” he noted. “But especially on Sunday after the Moto2 race, the delta between the others and us, when the grip is lower, is much higher. Let’s see, because on Sunday we never know why, but our grip is super low.”

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