Petronas SRT Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo says he needs a change of fortune at the penultimate two rounds of the MotoGP championship when action resumes this weekend at Valencia, if he’s to have any hopes of closing down title leader Joan Mir and taking the 2020 crown.
That comes after a difficult two weekends for the Frenchman at Motorland Aragon, where the best he could manage from the two races was an eighth place in the second one after failing to score points in the first thanks to tyre issues.
Quartararo, who said he was “happy to leave Aragon after two weeks where we struggled every day”, is adamant he can do better next time out at Valencia.
The Ricardo Tormo circuit was one where he finished only a second from race winner Marc Marquez 12 months ago at the conclusion of his rookie season, and it’s a track where he’s already been fast with Michelin’s new construction rear tyre during pre-season testing at the end of the 2019 championship.
“I can’t wait to be at Valencia because it was a track that was great for me last year and we were really fast there in the test on the new tyres as well,” said Quartararo, who now trails Mir by 14 points.
“I’m happy to be going to a track I like with a bit of advantage – or at least where I should struggle less than the others rather than more.
“I don’t think that Valencia is a better track for us – I’m sure of it. There’s less consumption on the tyres, and that’ll help us to be fast and consistent.
“My feeling with the bike at Valencia last year was really good, and I think we can bring it to Portimao as well. In the past it was my favourite track, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what it is like on a MotoGP bike.”
However, after he watched team-mate Franco Mobidelli take victory at Aragon on the 2019-spec Yamaha and launch himself back into title contention, there’s one issue that seems to be niggling at Quartararo’s mind: his pace at the second round of MotoGP’s back-to-back races.
They’re a novel feature of the 2020 championship as series promoter Dorna does its best to dodge the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent restrictions, and it’s something that has so far not played into the hands of Quartararo – and with two races at Valencia, that could be an issue.
“Franco was really consistent, even in the first week before he made an improvement in the second week,” Quartararo admitted.
“We made an improvement, we found an improvement, but it wasn’t enough. In the first week it was Maverick [Vinales] who was the guy to beat but in the end he finished fourth and in the second race was only a second in front of me.
“It’s so hard to understand these double races, because apart from Franco who has improved a lot [the other Yamahas don’t]. For us, when there’s a double race we’re lost.”
Quartararo’s record at Valencia
2013: CEV Moto3 double-header, won race one by 4.266s, won race two by 2.079s
2014: CEV Moto3 double-header, won race one by 4.301s, won race two by 1.205s
2015: Moto3, retired through injury
2016: Moto3, 14th place, 9.283s behind the winner
2017: Moto2, 8th place, 22.188s behind the winner
2018: Moto2, 6th place, 32.126s behind the winner
2019: MotoGP, 2nd place, 1.026s behind the winner
