Fabio Quartararo appeared smiling and voiceless, a few days after the world title in Misano, for the interview with GPOne, which you can see in full in the video above. His title win was a historic achievement that no French had ever achieved before and that he had to celebrate in the best possible way. “I finished partying at 5am on Monday morning, I think my voice is still in Misano – he joked – It was really a great moment. If we think about the whole season we did a great job, even in Jerez where I had a problem with my arm and in Barcelona with the leather, I won two races to go.
“I’m sorry for Bagnaia, but this year the title was mine”
A triumph, but Quartararo grants his main opponent the honor of being in arms.
“It’s a shame for Bagnaia, I really think so – he admitted – Even if he had won the race I would have finished fifth, a great result for Portimao, but the most important thing is that Pecco wasn’t injured. However, I believe that this title was mine ”.
Do you think next year it will be tougher against Marquez?
“I push a lot with Yamaha, the bike runs very well and I’m happy, but there are two or three things to improve, the first is the power. The engineers know they need to focus on the engine. If we can improve our speed it will be better and easier for us in the race. On some tracks, like Austin and others with long straights, this limit is felt on the flying lap, but especially in the race because it is difficult to overtake.
There are some fans you would love to see in Ducati …
“At the moment everything is open for the future, we have to listen to everyone, but now I’m focusing on the last few races, it’s too early to talk about 2022. There’s my manager Eric (Mahé, ed.) Who manages all of these things. “
You are a big fan of tattoos, can you get a new one for the title?
“Of course I’ve already spoken to a Spanish tattoo artist who is already working. I’ll do it on my arm ”.
“Valentino can do what he wants, for me he will always be number 1”
Is there a reason you were the only Yamaha rider who was consistently competitive?
“I don’t know. Morbidelli started the year with the 2019 motorcycle, then he got injured. Valentino had some difficulties last year, but he can do what he wants and for me he will always be number 1. Dovizioso is back in the race after a long time and comes from Ducati and Aprilia. There were some problems, I think I’m at the best moment of my career, Valentino is in a relegation phase, Franco is injured and Dovi is back after a long time. I was the fastest at Yamaha, but the others didn’t have an easy year. Apart from the operation on my arm, I had fewer problems ”.
You talked about the difficult moments in your Moto3 and Moto2 career on Sunday, was there a moment when you thought about quitting?
“I’m honest, even if I was far away from Leopard and Pons, then at the beginning with SpeedUp I never thought of quitting and I always believed that I could win and stay ahead. I was very unpredictable, if the bike wasn’t perfect I didn’t run well, but when the bike worked I knew I could win. Luca (Boscoscuro, editor’s note) was the only one who said to me: ‘I see you work hard and well, I don’t put you under pressure, do what you want’. For me it was a very friendly gesture and gave me a lot of self-confidence. “
“Yamaha doesn’t have to build a simple bike, it has to build a fast one”
Yamaha hasn’t had a benchmark test team in years, Rossi said he’d love to drive the M1 but wouldn’t be a test driver. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for Yamaha to have their opinion or is it the rider who won the world championship who has to lead the development?
“In our situation, Yamaha knows that it doesn’t have to make a motorcycle for me. It doesn’t have to be a light and a fast bike, but a fast bike, if it’s also light, then even better. If Vale wants to do one, two, three … 54 tests, I think it won’t be a problem for Yamaha. Cal is there to help us develop the bike, I’ve talked to him a lot and he knows what the problem is. We don’t have a lot of strength, I remember in Qatar when Martin overtook me on the straight, it was scary, it felt like an airplane to me. It can’t be that much of a difference, 5 or 6 km / h is fine, but not like that.
Aren’t you afraid that the more powerful the M1 will lose its proverbial balance?
“If the Ducati hasn’t lost it, we won’t. We have to improve top speed and acceleration even if we lose on the flying lap. The most important thing is the race ”.
Bagnaia trains a lot on the Panigale V4S and says she has similar sensations to the MotoGP bike, does that apply to you with the R1 too?
“I don’t like to train with racing bikes when I was in Moto2 because they are very easy to ride, go fast. Then when you get back on MotoGP or Moto2 everything is stiffer, power, brakes, electronics.” are totally different. I really enjoy riding the R1, but when I’m back on the M1 it will take a lot of laps to get used to. The R1 is a fun bike that drives very well, you can also see that at Toprak ”.
Will you be using number 1 next year?
“No, I don’t even wear a small one, the bikes will be the same as this year. “
“For 2022 I think Bastianini will be good, but I don’t know who will be the favorite”
Will it be easier next year because you have more experience, or more difficult because your opponents will improve?
“First of all, I want to enjoy the last two races before I think about the next season. I know everyone thinks that after I’ve won this year I have to win the next one too, but for me it doesn’t. I will work the same way. In the last races since Aragon, I’ve seen Bastianini ride very well and aggressively, and that’s not easy on a MotoGP bike. Enea will be on top, Martin, if he becomes more consistent then there will be Bagnaia, Miller, Marquez, Mir … there are a lot of drivers. Like this year, I don’t know who will be the favorite “.
A curiosity: why don’t you ever wear a racing undersuit?
“My triceps hurt when I wear it, it’s a strange thing. In Moto2 it was impossible not to use it, now it’s the other way around, although I’ve tried several models. It was freezing cold in Australia in 2019. I entered the garage with the leather closed and my engineer said to me, ‘You put it on today’. Instead, I had nothing (laughs). If you’re on the bike, it’s okay, but then I got really cold ”.
“I saw that the entire paddock was happy for me: a big thank you”
You must have received so many messages these days …
“Really a lot, even from President Macron, from Formula 1 drivers, from footballers. I want to thank everyone who works in MotoGP. I don’t know if they were sincere, but I saw them all be happy for me, including my rivals. I thank them because it was a unique moment ”.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, your hometown, is a former horseman. Are you going to let him test your M1?
“We know each other and he also sent me a message. I don’t decide who can try, I don’t think Yamaha will agree very much (laughs) “.