"Victory, podium or top 5," Quartararo believes he has a big opportunity at Assen

The season of fabio quartararo is, to say the least, full of ups and downs. After achieving three consecutive pole positions in Spain, France, and Great Britain, the Frenchman had two disappointing weekends in a row, in Aragon and then in Italy. Despite everything, the 2021 world champion arrives in Assen (Netherlands) full of ambition, carrying high hopes going into the weekend.

But the Frenchman first wants to reassure everyone about his physical condition. Despite the shoulder pain he suffered when leaving Mugello last week, he was able to reduce his training to recover. He will therefore be at 100% of his physical capacity for the event.

"There is still something a little strange, but nothing serious, he confided to the media this Thursday. I'm fully fit for this weekend. Rest is the most important thing. Usually, I do some exercises with weights and other things before the race on Tuesday. But I decided to do nothing and just try to rest and take it easy.

Always cautious when it comes to setting performance targets, a rather calm Fabio Quartararo arrived at Assen. The Frenchman firmly believes his M1 has the ability to compete at the front this weekend.

"I think this is one of the few events where, as of Thursday, I can say that if the weather is pretty good, we can get a very good result this weekend, He continues. We can be really competitive in every session. So, yes, I'm looking forward to this weekend."

Quartararo with big ambitions at Assen

To explain the confidence he gained at Assen, Fabio Quartararo bases his comments on four factors. “A lot of things [make me say that]. The straights, the temperature, the grip and the tire wear. These are the four things that make our bike really bad or not. At Mugello, the worst characteristics were there. Here, normally, the four are not there. So, of course, we have to improve our potential, but these are the main areas to improve.”

It must also be said that Fabio Quartararo particularly appreciates the Assen circuit, where he has accumulated commendable results in the past. On the podium three times in the Netherlands in MotoGP, the Nice native even found victory there in 2021. In Sprint, he also finished on the podium in 2023, despite a difficult season with Yamaha.

2025 would therefore be a good opportunity to write a new chapter in its history with the circuit nicknamed the cathedral of speed. “To be honest, I feel like we can have a great opportunity this weekend to… I don't know if I should say for the win, the podium, the top five, but at least I know I can enjoy being up front fighting.”

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