Fabio Quartararo may have a new team, but he also has the same old habits. The Frenchman finished this test session with the factory team’s M1 in first place overall and after spending two intense days with 128 laps under his belt.
“Today was certainly better than yesterday – said Fabio – I still find it difficult to clearly rate the 2021 bike, but I’ve tried some new things and I’m still trying to understand them. I didn’t feel particularly good with the new swingarm, but I have to try better in all conditions. The most important change was the one in the frame, I have to find the right sensations. “
The frame is one of the most important changes to the M1. Is it similar to the one in 2019?
“At the moment I amIt still doesn’t give me the same feeling as I did with the 2019 frame, that was really amazing. We are trying to go in that direction and we still have tThree days of testing to be successful and get as close as possible ”.
How did the day go in terms of time compared to the opponents?
“It’s just tests, we don’t know who is testing what. I just have to focus on the new things But I have to say that my times today were really good, both from a flying lap standpoint and consistency. “
Your first days as an official driver are over today. How do you feel?
“Really good. But I kept it to myself In the past few months, thinking about the responsibilities I would have had has scared me a little. But now I realize that I love this role, I love making decisions about the bike and giving direction. “
Fabio, you are a specialist in flying laps. What do you feel in these moments?
“The sensations in qualifying are unbelievable, I don’t feel them at any other time in my life, not even in the race. In the lap before the time attack there is a lot of pressure, you are afraid, then you open the gas at the last corner and everything disappears. It’s crazy never to know if you’re going to crash or not. It is 100% adrenaline because in this moment you are giving the maximum of yourself. “
Any advice from Crutchlow?
“Yes, Cal and I have a great relationship and he gives me a great hand. I keep his advice to myself, but having such an important tester is an advantage, we have to get the best of him. “”
Vinales: “I’ll be crazy even with a son”
Instead, Maverick Vinales finished seventh and became increasingly satisfied with his Yamaha.
“I am very happy with this test – said Maverick – Yamaha worked really well over the winter and today I have focused on many aspects of my riding and my bike. I did six laps with crazy times at the end of the day and I’m really happy about that. “
You said you focused on driving and technical aspects. What surprised you the most?
“I know I’m fine on the flying lap, that’s there, as is the speed in general. On the other hand, there is no thrust at the start of the race and I’m working on it when the tank is full. Today I drove more calmly, without stress and only with the desire to improve myself. I’ve seen some interesting things about the bike’s electronics, especially when the handle is falling off. “”
The biggest problems last year were tracks with little grip. Are you working on it too?
“Yes, absolutely, I want to solve my low grip problems and in the next three days of testing we will have time to improve even further. It’s hard to tell if we’ve already done it because there wasn’t Moto2 ahead of us these days and we didn’t have the race conditions but I think I need more laps to be able to say what works and what doesn’t. t. “”
Speaking of races: Today, around 8 p.m. (Qatar time), you crashed into Turn 2. What happened?
“Well, I’m one of many drivers who fell there. I was on a very used double soft tire and so I went back to put the medium on the front, the racing tire. I crashed on the way out, maybe it was too cold for the medium “.
In the last few days you announced on Instagram that you and your partner are expecting a child. Enzo Ferrari used to say that a driver loses one second per lap after having a child. Do you worry?
“No, because I am crazy and I will always be crazy.”