If there is a hero on the first day of practice for the MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, it is almost certainly Fabio Quartararo. Although the Frenchman remains cautious for the moment, Yamaha seems to have finally found the key to the mess between the last race and the two tests carried out on the Misano track. And today’s result seems to confirm it, because “El Diablo” finished with the fifth time, behind only the top four in the World Championship.
“It’s been a long time since we finished fifth in practice. In fact, I don’t think we’ve done it this year, even if ninth was more or less our time. But seeing that I’m first behind the top four in the championship makes me happy,” said an almost incredulous Quartararo at the end of the day.
When asked what he thinks the key to this improvement might be, he looked for an explanation, but then remained very cautious with his comments: “We have improved in testing. We have a different engine which, although it does not give us more performance, makes it easier to drive. We have also improved our base and changed the electronics. I am happy to be in this position, but it is still too early to say whether we have made a definitive step forward.”
“In Aragon we didn’t place well on the grid, but the pace was already better. It will be interesting to see what changes in the next two races. In any case, getting to Q2 changes your whole weekend,” he continued, then going into more detail about where this growth started.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The 2021 world champion also showed off some pride, reminding everyone that the real Quartararo is not the one we saw until a few weeks ago: “I know I haven’t forgotten how to go fast. That’s why I always give my all, whether I finish tenth or fifteenth.”
After Yamaha yesterday confirmed the news reported a couple of weeks ago by Motorsport.com, that is, that it is building a V4 engine and therefore in the medium-term future it will abandon its classic inline-four structure. Fabio was asked what his expectations are in this regard.
“I’ve known it for quite some time. Honestly, it’s complicated to say today which engine is the best, but the three manufacturers that are in front all use a V4 engine, but Honda also has a V4. I have no expectations about it, but I can say that it was one of the reasons to stay: I saw that Yamaha is pushing hard, like it never happened in the past”, he concluded.
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