Reigning MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo believes three of his employer Yamaha’s competing premium brands have made a “much bigger step” ahead of the 2022 season.
Quartararo had been craving a big improvement in engine performance for his M1 coming to the first test of 2022 at Sepang, but conceded after his first day of racing that hadn’t materialized – and would not.
The Frenchman finished the test seventh quickest, albeit just two tenths off the final pace, and made it clear he wasn’t unhappy with how the two days had gone at Sepang – particularly in terms of pace on used tires – but admitted that he “expected much more”.
And he was also full of praise for what he was seeing from some of his rival manufacturers.
Speaking to MotoGP.com, Quartararo described the performance of the new Suzuki GSX-RR as “the biggest surprise” of the test.
“And Honda too,” he quickly added. “Because I was really impressed with the lap times they did and the pace, Pol [Espargaro] had really good pace, Alex [Marquez], Mark [Marquez].
“But yes, [Suzuki riders] Alex [Rins] and Johanna [Mir] were really fast today, with new tires and with used ones. For me they are the biggest surprise. But I think we’re in there too and it’s going to be a fun year too.”
Subsequently asked by The Race if he also thought highly of the new Aprilia’s performance after both Aleix Espargaro and Quartararo’s former teammate Maverick Vinales finished the test in the top five, or if he thought they were flattered that being allowed to ride the pre-test shakedown, Quartararo said: “Obviously we know they are super fast.
“They have two drivers who drive fast and of course … for me even if you drive more days you drive a lap time. Already below [1m]59[s] is already a fast lap time and they did 58.1 and 58.3 I think.
“It’s true that they ride more days but the bike is definitely working super well when we check the top speed it’s super fast.
“I was half a lap behind Aleix and the turns were a lot… I’m sure impressed with them and in the end if you look yeah Hondas and Suzukis made a big step for me too.”
Quartararo was then asked if Yamaha had improved as much as the three bikes in question, to which he quickly said ‘no’, and what he made of the Ducati’s advances.
“In the end Ducati were already super super fast at the end of the season but the three that impressed me the most are the three you said.
“And to be honest, I don’t think we’ve made a step like that by far.
“But that doesn’t mean we’re not competitive. Just means the others have made a much bigger step than we have.
“And we’re struggling in those areas – even with new tyres, it’s strange to see I’ve been struggling more because usually time trials are one of my favorite things to do. I know I could still improve a lot, but the others have made a big step in this area.”
Thank you for your feedback!