Fabio Quartararo had a MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas more focused on the development of the bike than on the results. The Monster Energy Yamaha rider tested several solutions on the YZR-M1 throughout the weekend, including in the main race – which he finished in 12th place.
The Frenchman commented: ‘I went straight in the first lap at turn 12, lost some positions. But to be honest I expected worse, because my pace wasn’t good, but the tire degradation wasn’t that bad. I think we could have managed the position a bit better. But I think the weekend was about trying many things. Even for the race, we started with a bike that I hadn’t tried before. So, I think it’s great for our experience‘.
Although the bike’s needs have already been identified, Quartararo considers that the Austin round was particularly positive due to the tests carried out:
– The direction, we know what we need, so this is really positive, because it’s three races and three races where we’re missing exactly the same things. Now, this weekend was great because we basically tried several things. I think now we’ve turned a bit in all the bike settings. Now we need new items to really improve. They’re coming, they’re on the way, but I think right now our goal is to improve our bike and not truly focus on the results.
The next few weeks will have a lot of work for Yamaha, including at the official Jerez test that #20 confirmed will be very busy: ‘Yes, it will be busy. I think Cal [Crutchlow] will also test before Jerez. It will be a busy test for us in Jerez, then after Le Mans we will have two days in Mugello, so it will be a busy month for us. But right now it’s a different mindset for me. It’s not really focused on the results, but focused on trying to improve our bike. Of course it’s difficult because I am a winner and I want to finish as best as possible. But I believe that sometimes it’s good to do this kind of things that we did this weekend‘.
