The Austrian Grand Prix started with no expectations for Fabio Quartararo, who has decided to change his approach this weekend. On a track that on paper is not so favorable to Yamaha, the Frenchman managed to enter the top 10, qualifying directly in tomorrow’s Q2. A good start for the rider from Nice, who has promoted the new aerodynamics that debuted at Silverstone and that Yamaha has decided to bring to Austria as well.
“You don’t really feel the wing at the rear. I think it’s an aesthetic thing, it seems a little more aggressive. But in terms of riding you don’t feel it too much, then we only have one”, explains Quartararo with reference to the rear wing, while he has a positive comment on the fairing: “The one in front was ok, in the last three years Yamaha has brought five or Six aero packages but none worked. This one however seems to have a good balance, the problem in the past was the really bad handling”.
“This is a little heavier because obviously the wings are bigger, but I feel it’s great for the wheelie. Of course if you have more power you can use bigger wings and not have wheelies, but we have no power. We have to find a balance between aerodynamics and power in order not to lose too much, because I think we already lose a lot on the straight, our gearbox is very short”, he continues. El Diablo.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
With this new aerodynamics Quartararo has to get used to it and it’s not that simple to ride and it’s difficult to control it: “No, it’s not worse, but I’m so close to the limit that the bike moves automatically. It’s the only way to try to lap times, but it’s true that the bike is quite aggressive”.
Quartararo closed Friday’s free practice with the ninth fastest time, but in the final stages he had too many unforeseen events that didn’t allow him to improve his time. However, he believes that the step forward would not have been so evident without the problems: “The lap I did today was more or less similar to what I did last year in qualifying. We know how much we struggle, today it wasn’t at the best, on the last lap we changed the rear tire quickly and we only had one lap. The front was a bit cold, I could have improved a tenth, a tenth and a half, but that’s the limit”.
“I think the problem was that on the last lap I was improving, but when they changed the rear tyre, the front one didn’t have the heat cover and it stayed on for 30 seconds. I was at the limit, but in sector 3 I risked a little less and we had tire pressure problems in all the time attacks. My engineer told me there was a bit of leeway because we were well above 0.4 of minimum pressure. In fact, it was with the new discs and new guards that the pressure really increased. In terms of driving, I think I gained a good tenth and with this pressure it’s possible to gain another one,” explains the Frenchman.
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