MotoGP title leader Fabio Quartararo faces what is probably the worst track on the calendar this weekend in Aragon.
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The young Frenchman, who increased his championship lead to 65 points over Suzuki’s Joan Mir with his fifth win of the season at Silverstone, has never been better than fifth in the Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP classes on the Spanish circuit.
That seemed to change last season when Quartararo qualified from pole position for the opening race at Aragon, only to drop to 18th place in the race. The following weekend, the then Petronas Yamaha rider dropped from sixth on the grid to eighth.
“Aragon is probably the worst track on the calendar, not for the Yamaha bike, but for me,” admitted Quartararo, who became the first Yamaha rider to take five wins in a single season since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.
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“I’ve been fast there before – I took pole position last year – but I’ve never really been consistent.
“So it would be a great thing to fix that. I want to learn on this track and be consistent there too.”
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“We know that this is a route that does not match the strengths of our bike,” added team principal Massimo Meregalli. “Apart from that, the Spielberg track doesn’t do it either, and Fabio’s pace was still competitive enough to fight for a podium there.
“One thing is for sure, we are 100% determined to fight for the top spots. It will definitely be hard work, but we are up for the challenge.”
Test rider Cal Crutchlow is expected to drive alongside Quartararo for the second and final time this season, filling the void left by Maverick Vinales’ mid-season departure until Franco Morbidelli is fit to take the ride.
The Briton has had eleven experiences in Aragon so far, with a best result of third place for Ducati in 2014 and only in the top ten except for three.
“I enjoyed the Silverstone GP with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team. Overall, I felt we did a good job and I’m looking forward to doing more laps aboard the Factory YZR-M1, this time in Aragon “said Crutchlow.
“It’s not an easy track, but it’s one that I’m usually competitive on. So it will be nice to race there and improve on the work we’ve done so far.”
Meregalli added: “Cal knows the Aragon circuit very well and has always been competitive here. With that in mind, we are very excited to see what we can achieve this weekend.”
Crutchlow finished 17th on his three substitute rides so far, but was still the second best Yamaha after Quartararo at Silverstone as Petronas riders Valentino Rossi and Jake Dixon were struggling with tire grip problems.