Fabio Quartararo is in a very complicated situation because, as the current championship leader, he is aware of how risky a defensive race can be and, above all, how catastrophic a possible mistake can be. It’s a complex scenario, but one that didn’t prevent him from challenging Bagnaia and the Ducatis at Misano today on equal terms in qualifying.
He made it halfway as the Frenchman secured an important front row position before crashing to pole at the start of his final attempt. In FP4, Fabio showed an exceptional racing pace, but the threat of the rain expected for tomorrow could shuffle the cards further and add some more variables to the Frenchman who doesn’t want to make mistakes in this final stage of the championship. Certainly he will have to fight hard tomorrow with the group of Ducati riders who surrounded him on the grid. The possibility of competing in the wet race also seems to be very worrying for Fabio.
“We have a lot of things to try – Quartararo confirmed – and in any case, when it is wet, I will give 100% because when we are wet we now have, I think, zero points. I will give 100% when it’s wet, I give 100% when dry. “
So you are afraid of a possible rain disaster and you think it will be a defensive race?
“I wanted to say that our position in FP2 was 18th so there are no points if that was the race. And I mean we have to take a step, that’s why I say I have to give 100%. We’ll see what happens when it rains. So I don’t have to be conservative when it’s wet. “
Of course you hope for dry weather.
“I hope for a dry race. I did fourth qualifying on this track in MotoGP and every time I’m in third place, so I think we did a great job. On the last lap I tried a little too hard in the first corner. We checked the data and I braked way too late, but that’s what I wanted to do and it was great to feel that limit up front. I’m so happy with the pace I had in FP4, in race two we made a little change to the bike and I’m improving with used tires. So I’m looking forward to trying out this setup with the new tire. “
You didn’t look bad in qualifying at Aragon either, but things went badly in the race. Are you aiming for a two rider match with Pecco?
“For me the situation is very different than in Aragon. I suffered a lot there, while I feel very comfortable here on the bike. I don’t think it’s a match between me and Pecco, but rather a question that preoccupies me a lot and tries to do my best. After we see how it goes, I’m not only thinking of Bagnaia, I have a lot of drivers around me and the race is very long here. Let’s see if I can get good pace with used tires. In that case, I think I can do well tomorrow ”.
Are you considering a conservative approach, with an eye on the table, or will you push?
“I will of course push. There are five races left, not just one or two. But if I understand that I’m at the limit, then of course I won’t push until I risk a fall. In Aragon I pushed to the end and even when it came to getting one point more than Martìn, I gave everything. I think that tomorrow I have a lot more chance of being ahead, so I’ll give 100% ”.
Today we saw a lot of insects annoying the drivers on the track. Did you have any problems
“At Turn 12 it was unbelievable, there were a lot of mosquitos and I was hoping they weren’t there for the whole lap, but luckily they weren’t everywhere, also because I didn’t have enough breaks. I hope tomorrow will happen ” Be different “.
Ducati riders train a lot with the Panigale V4 and benefit from it. Have you ever thought about doing the same with the R1?
“It wouldn’t help me because I don’t like driving the R1. It’s very different, I feel lost when I try both. The tires are different, the bike works differently. I prefer to do my usual motocross training and work on my body. Lapping with the R1 wouldn’t help me. “
You are right at the forefront of the Ducati Group. Do you miss having other M1s around?
“I feel a little alone in this race. I’m right in the middle of four Ducatis so it’s obviously not the best. It would be great to have a couple of the blue bikes up front, but I hope Franco recovers soon and is on top because we are fighting a lot more in qualifying than usual. And I tried to give Yamaha some great information, what I see today is pretty interesting. It’s not that easy. “
There were a lot of crashes in Moto3 and Moto2, but also in MotoGP. Is grip a problem?
“I’ve seen a lot of crashes, especially in Moto3, so I thought it was strange, but I don’t have a specific explanation. I didn’t find a bad grip today but everyone always pushes their limits both in FP3 and in qualifying. I have no real explanation for all of these crashes ”.