Just 24 hours have passed since Fabio Quartararo crossed the finish line of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, becoming the MotoGP world champion. He is the first Frenchman to do so and the first Yamaha rider after Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.
The celebrations were commensurate with the feat, even if this left the star of the last championship without a voice. Despite his aphonia, “El Diablo” answered Motorsport.com’s call during the trip back home to Nice.
Who was the first person that came to your mind when you crossed the finish line?
“My father. My father. Well, both of us, the whole family, but especially my father. For all the miles we drove together when I was little to be able to run. I don’t mean nonsense, but we did fifty or sixty thousand kilometers a year. for training and for going to competitions, maybe even more. This image is the first thing that came to mind “.
Three years ago you were a Moto2 rider and on Sunday you received congratulations from Emmanuel Macron. Do you find it difficult to digest everything that has happened to you?
“It’s absolutely crazy. Especially when we take into account that in 2018 we were very low. The progression was brutal. All of this will give me a big boost for the future. Right now I still can’t believe what happened, not I could never have imagined that I could have achieved this so quickly, at just 22 years old. And the good thing is that I have many years ahead of me to keep fighting and making other dreams come true. “
You were talking about 2018 before. In spite of difficult times, have you always been a happy boy?
“I have always been like this, even in the most difficult moments I have been happy. This is the most important thing in life. In those moments, despite not getting the results I wanted, I was doing the job I had always dreamed of. I often think about people who they do very hard work, or those who have to do something every day that they don’t like. This is incomparable for us. Even when the results weren’t good, I was happy in life. “
How did you feel after hearing the Valentino Rossi fans sing for you and after beating Bagnaia?
“Seeing the Valentino fans celebrate the title with me, even though I was playing it with Pecco and in Vale’s last race (in Italy), it was something very special. It is something that I will carry with me forever.”
The whole paddock, from your direct rivals to the rest of the teams, were very happy for you and congratulated. How do you manage to please everyone?
“I’m really happy to see riders like Marc happy for me. They know how difficult it is to be at this level. Sunday was the happiest day of my life, and part of the reason is that.”
Will you run lighter from now on having a lot of pressure taken off?
“I feel the pressure before the race, but when I’m on the bike I don’t feel it. Maybe a little bit at Misano, because I knew I couldn’t make mistakes. I think this will take a weight off my mind in the last two races, but next year we’ll start over. I wouldn’t say I’ll do it from scratch, but almost. But I’m sure I’ll be much happier. “
What are the keys to the turning point compared to last year? You started as strong as this year, but in the second half of the season you collapsed …
“This year’s Yamaha is not much better than last year’s, but we found a feeling that allows me to be much faster. What we have improved the most is the front, but in the end the Yamaha has always I had the most balanced frame. I would say that more than improving the bike after 2020, what we did was recover something we had lost along the way. “
Do you think today’s Fabio would have been world champion last year?
“I wouldn’t have been able to win the title, but I’m sure I wouldn’t have finished eighth in the World Championship. I think in 2020 my logical position would have been third, but I managed things pretty badly. This allowed me to improve. a lot to be able to win this year “.
Is this title worth more considering it hasn’t been an easy year for Yamaha? I say this above all for what happened with Vinales …
“It hasn’t been an easy year for Yamaha, but when you go through difficult times, they enjoy even more if success comes. Seeing all the engineers and the Project Leader celebrate the title at Misano on Sunday was a huge contrast to the first race of the year in Qatar, where everything was very cold. You can see that the stress and pressure have been eliminated. This title allows us to forget all the difficult moments that Yamaha has gone through. “
You have never had any qualms in admitting that you have been to a sports psychologist. Do you think this makes you even stronger in the eyes of others?
“I have no problem admitting it. The last time I went to see him was in December 2020, and this year I didn’t go. I’ve been there for an hour and a half, but during the year, when there There were times when I was pissed off or stressed, I thought about that conversation. That helps me a lot, but I don’t go there very often. “
What whim will you indulge in after winning the title?
“I haven’t thought about it yet. What I know for sure is that this year’s Yamaha will be coming to my house soon. It’s an unbeatable whim.”
Now that you have this feeling with your bike, aren’t you afraid that the Yamaha will touch it and ruin it?
“The only thing I ask is more power. We were able to test the 2022 frame at Misano and it works very well, but what we lack is the power. What I really ask of Yamaha is more top speed, to make the my life a little easier in overtaking. In the first race at Misano, if I had just had a little more top speed, I could have won. “
Would you like to fight with Marquez when he is 100%?
“A lot. Marc is in good shape, he has won the last two races and I can’t wait to fight with him. Marc is an example that I have followed for many years. I really like him as a driver and as a person, and the battles that we did in 2019, although he almost always won them, I remember them as the moments when I was able to learn and have more fun. I was allowed to say that I was racing against an eight-time world champion. “
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