MotoGP, Quartararo: “Me and Vinales like Lorenzo and Rossi: fight for the title”

The long-awaited day has come for Fabio Quartararo when he will wear the colors of the official Yamaha team for the first time. After the yellow number 46 has disappeared from the fairing of the M1, the red number 20 has now arrived, but the Frenchman does not fall into the trap of seeing himself as a replacement for Rossi.

I didn’t take his place because Valentino is unique – He pointed out – We have swapped teams and that’s already a dream for me. I think Valentino will do well at Petronas because he will have the same support from Yamaha and I felt great after two years with this team. “

But now you’re on the official team. What does this change mean?

“It means more pressure, but also more support. In particular, they will develop the bike more according to my needs; When I was at Petronas I was mostly giving confirmations, now I can request changes for myself. Last year I learned a lot about how to handle the pressure. Maverick and I will be able to fight for first and second places in the championship like Lorenzo and Rossi did … I hope to be Jorge and win the title (laughs) ”.

How is the feeling at Vinales?

“We have a good relationship, we can help each other, but my goal is to win the title. Last year we were always close in the race, from Jerez where we did two doubles to when we were in trouble. I think our comments on the M1 are similar and with the same issues we can go in the same direction. Maverick will be my first rival, but logically it will be better to fight for first place than eighth. We can make progress together, but in qualifying and in the race it will be a war. “”

“The points are the most important thing: the angrier you are, the worse you get.”

You said you learned a lot from 2020, what specifically?

“Last year was difficult because we had some problems with the bike, but I also had some. 2019 was a perfect season, last year started well, then the problems started and I had many ups and downs. Sure I could have done more, but If you fight for victory in one race and tenth place in the next, you will get mad at yourself and end up making it worse. I realized that seventh place is sometimes better than a crash. “

Many observers said they couldn’t take the pressure.

“I had never fought to win a championship, apart from the CEV, which is something completely different. I felt fine, at least until Barcelona, ​​I wasn’t under any pressure, but then the bike started to ride badly, its potential dropped and I saw the championship go away from me. Then I pushed harder, but the results got worse and I started falling. “

What did you learn?

“Of course, I’m still mad at myself for not taking this opportunity. but now i have so much experience that will be useful in the future. I realized that points are the most important thing. “

You also went to a psychologist in winter, did that help?

“Yeah, and I’ll go again before the season starts. He taught me to be calm and to put myself in the perspective of others. I heard a lot about myself last year, but I have to forget what others say about me. It helped me focus on myself and do my job. In the end, I’m a driver and I have to drive, analyze things and give my opinion. I can’t spend hours thinking about which setup to use because that’s not my job. “

“What will I bring to Yamaha? I hope the title!”

What can you bring to Yamaha?

“I hope the title (laughs). Other than that, I’m a very sensitive driver, it’s one of my strengths and I think it’s very useful for development. When I test something, I have very clear feelings. “

What do you want from your M1?

“I think all drivers want more rear grip and more top speed. So we have to work on aerodynamics and weight. I tried to lose a few pounds, but we can lose more on the M1. However, I firmly believe in this project. It’s easy to say the bike is no good, but it’s more important to trust the engineers so they’ll be more motivated. I have great faith in her ”.

At Petronas, you always joked with your team. Will it take more seriousness to be in the official box?

“I think this job can also be done with fun. I know that I am at a very important moment in my career But I will have the same people around me and there will be the same family atmosphere of the last few years. And I will continue to start my bike personally, at the expense of stealing the starter (laughs) “.

How are you physically after signing Covid?

“After Portimao, I relaxed, paid less attention and contracted the virus. At first I was concerned, it took me a month to get back in shape, but now I’m fine. “

Who will your rival be for this season?

“It’s difficult to name one name, easier to name a dozen or more: Me, Miller, Rins, Oliveira, Bagnaia, there are so many. I remember that in Brno there were all six motorcycles in the top ten. It doesn’t take much to fight for the championship. It is difficult to choose a rival. “

“Morbidelli chose the ‘old’ M1, he played it safe”

Morbidelli won’t have the official bike, would that have been useful for the development of the M1?

“I knew he asked about Aragon about the 2021 bike, but then he changed his mind. He did a perfect job last year, maybe he wanted to play it safe and it was a smart choice. But we’ll be able to keep developing our bike and I think Crutchlow will help us with that. “

You are one of the few drivers without a trainer, why?

“I don’t need one at the moment, I can see where I’m losing from the data and I’m happy with my team. I don’t want a coach to be able to just say that I have one too. I need the right person, one I blindly trust, and right now there aren’t any. “”