At Sepang, the bike and the world champion already gave the impression of being in trouble. Mind you, this is only the first test of the season, but already since yesterday Quartararo seems to want to rap Yamaha on the knuckles for the lack of progress made on the track.
“I’m not happy compared to what I expected – he told reporters – Today I tried a new chassis, and a lowered set-up of the bike, that’s all. It wasn’t a great day, let’s see what we can try in Indonesia, even if I know we will have the same things, only on a different track”.
El Diablo is still sixth quickest with a splendid Bastianini taking the first slot in front of the Aprilias. What did the world champion think about the performance of the Noale bikes?
“They are very fast and they have strong riders. They have lapped here more than us, it’s true, but doing these times means they are doing well. I was behind Aleix for half a lap and their cornering speed is really good, they impressed me. However, Suzuki and Honda have also taken a big step forward”.
Have the manufacturers you mentioned improved a lot more than you? What about Ducati?
“Yes, we haven’t improved anywhere near as much as they have. Ducati is very fast but the other manufacturers have really impressed me. This does not mean that we are not competitive, we certainly struggle in some areas, such as in new tire management. I know because the time attack is one of my characteristics, but the others have really made big steps forward”.
Fabio, in recent years the manufacturers have been able to develop the engines. Why didn’t Yamaha do it even though you’re not the only rider to have asked?
“I think they’re looking for it, but maybe the zone of Yamaha has no more horses! (laughs, ed.). I think everyone is working hard, I don’t think it’s an area where Yamaha doesn’t work, I think they can’t find them. A little power wouldn’t bother the other parts of the bike”.
How did this second and final day in Sepang go overall?
“Today I am very happy, already from the first lap I found more speed in the corners and I rode more naturally. My time attack was pretty good and I know I can improve even more. I’m a bit sad because I would have liked to have gone under 1’58 and it would have been possible with two time attacks. Even with used tires I have a good pace, I did 1’59.4 with 21 laps on the rear and in the afternoon 1’59.7 with heavily used tires”.
It seems that Yamaha is experiencing the same situation as in 2021. With you struggling in front of all the other three riders. Does this worry you?
“It’s hard to say, we all want someone to push us beyond our limits. Morbidelli will certainly be fast in a short time and will get close. Last year, however, I learned from Vinales in the first part of the season, in Qatar he gave me not motivation, but the desire to do better. At Assen I think it was the first time we pushed each other beyond the limits, I had never done it that way and it helped me. Anyway, I don’t think I need someone to push me, but having someone might help not to think too much in some areas ”.
What do you think of the engine and power of this Yamaha?
“We need a lot more power and a lot more grip, but we also have strong points: like the braking on the front. In races like Mugello, if you do not have half a second advantage before the curve, you are passed on the straight and being overtaken like that is sad. Another example is Portimao, in the first race I won, in the second I couldn’t pass, that’s the point ”.
Do you think you will have time to close the gap from Ducati?
“No, because I think we don’t have a plan to improve and even if we did, there wouldn’t be time. So, the bike we have today will be the one that we use in Qatar, or with small modifications.”
Morbidelli: “Pity about the rain, I wanted to work in the afternoon”
On the other side of the garage, close to Fabio but far in the standings with the 24th time of the day is Franco Morbidelli.
“Today I didn’t do the time attack. It was scheduled but then it started raining unfortunately. But anyway, everything we wanted to improve over yesterday has been done. Especially in the morning my pace was closer to Fabio’s. It’s unfortunate that it rained in the afternoon because that’s the moment where I struggled the most, and it happened today too, we wanted to work in that specific area, at that specific time. Anyway, in the morning the speed and pace were not bad”.
Your situation, therefore, is better than it seems looking at the timesheets?
“Yes, absolutely. I didn’t even use a soft tire and I didn’t try the flying lap even on the medium. I used all the time I had to understand the bike better, to try things out and understand what I need. I tried the new chassis again, but I didn’t like it”.
So will you go back to the old solution? How does the new one change?
“No, during the season we will use the 2022 chassis, the downforce has improved, there is less wheelie, or rather the bike rears up with more acceleration. It is a bit different from the previous one, it seems to work better with the new tire but it is complicated when there is a little wear. “
Do you have any comments on the engine? Quartararo seemed quite resigned …
“The engine seems similar to the 2021 one, it’s Yamaha style but we should have a little more top speed. My idea is that the old Ducatis on the flying lap are really awesome. The Suzukis are also fast, I don’t know how much they have improved. We have our improvements in some areas, we have made some steps forward and if they are big or small, we will see it in other tracks”.
Dovizioso said that these days that separate us from the Mandalika tests will be important to find something on the bike, do you agree?
“I just really want to get back on the saddle because today we lost half a day of work. I was left a bit in the cold today and I’m really curious to know what will happen with the new tyres. I don’t think we will be able to reach Ducati’s speeds with new tyres, but we’ll see ”.
Audio compiled by Matteo Aglio