The Yamaha rider started 15th on the grid after a bad Friday and a Q1 in which he failed to make the cut. In the race he improved only a few positions to cross the line 12th, almost 18 seconds behind the leader, in just 14 laps.
However, what made life more difficult for Fabio Quartararo was the unexpected heat on a track like the Red Bull Ring (more than 30 degrees on the asphalt), which turned the Yamaha into a real cooking pot. In fact, the Frenchman appeared in front of the media with a towel to mitigate the sweat still abundant after the end of the race.
“For me, the difficult thing was the heat of the bike. My leg was burning a lot, like yesterday,” he said, touching the back of his left leg.
“I had some problems. During the race I was burning a lot and I don’t know if the heat will be the same tomorrow,” he wondered curiously. “I don’t think I can finish the long race if the temperature is the same. It was very difficult to run in the heat, especially for my leg.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, with double the number of laps, Quartararo sees no difference: “It will be the same for us,” he resigned himself.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The problems for the French star come right from the start: “When you really have to exploit the grip and go fast, they overtake me and unfortunately there is nothing to be done,” he explained.
“The only thing I can do well are the first three corners, where there is no real performance in terms of time, but just trying to get a good position.”
“Or maybe it’s just the habit of starting so far back, unfortunately!” Quartararo joked. “I’m starting to get used to this type of position and I have some experience. But I don’t think it’s the right experience,” he continued, referring to always having to fight at the back.
“It was difficult, because in the morning, looking at the pace, it wasn’t bad. I think it’s always the same thing. When you’re alone, you know that your strong point is braking. If you have no one in front of you, you brake very hard on Turn 1, Turn 2, Turn 3, Turn 4, Turn 9…”
“But when there are other bikes in front of you it’s complicated. As always in the Sprint, in the first three laps, when everyone attacks like in qualifying to open a gap, but they also have extra grip compared to us,” he said.
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