Fabio Quartararo’s Sprint in Sepang was compromised by a catastrophic start. Eighth on the grid, he lost ten positions during the first lap, mainly due to the holeshot device getting stuck and several errors in the first corners.
“I made a bit of confusion,” admitted Quartararo. “Honestly, yes, I tried to brake on the outside, I didn’t brake hard enough, so the holeshot stuck. I made a lot of mistakes from turns 1 to 5, where I lost a lot of positions, then I had problems with the pressure tires. But honestly I’m not frustrated, just with myself because it was totally my fault, it’s an experience for tomorrow.”
Sometimes it happens that the height device gets stuck in the low position, especially when the first braking, which should lift the motorcycle, is not sufficiently pronounced. But Quartararo had never experienced a problem like this: “It’s the first time it’s happened. Especially because you have to reach a certain number of millimeters to defuse it. We reached it, not by much, and I think a few millimeters were missing. But here, It was unfortunate, we tried the outside anyway but now we know it doesn’t work.”
“The team told me that maybe I had a slightly higher position, etc. but it’s strange that we surged so much,” Quartararo added. “But then, yes, it was definitely not a bad option to go to the outside, I braked late. Now, even braking late, the device did not disengage and when you have the device activated in the wide curves, the bike bounces a lot, so the My speed at Turn 3, for example, was very low. But it’s an experience for tomorrow and I think we’ll position ourselves differently.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Quartararo’s problems didn’t stop there. While he was 12th after the first corners, he lost another six positions due to a contact with Marc Márquez: “Everything happened: a bad start, the device blocked… but never mind, it’s like that. Like I said, it’s an experience for tomorrow and I think we’ll try not to make mistakes like that again.”
Quartararo was unable to make any overtaking and only recovered by taking advantage of the falls of Marc Márquez and Joan Mir to cross the finish line in 16th place. When he found himself in traffic, the pressure on the front tire skyrocketed, making any attack on a rival impossible.
“Honestly, I couldn’t do anything with the race pace, because I was stuck,” he explained, speaking specifically about today’s race. “I had problems with the front tire and with the pressure. Tomorrow we will really be able to start with the necessary pressure. I think we will be able to maintain a good pace.”
Quartararo hasn’t lost hope for Sunday’s race and hopes to take advantage of his eighth place on the grid: “Honestly today, apart from the Sprint, free practice and qualifying were very positive for us. The pace was very good, so like qualifying, to be honest. I couldn’t have done better, but we know that tomorrow we will have to take the inside at the first corner, brake a little harder and I think that with this we will still be able to have a good race.”
“With a good start, I think sixth or seventh position could be a realistic result,” said Quartararo, doubting his ability to replicate Buriram’s fifth place: “Doing a race like in Thailand? Maybe it’s a little more difficult. When the rubber degrades, we have a few more difficulties than in Thailand.”
With Fabien Gaillard
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