Leader on Friday, a fourth pole in Fabio Quartararo's sights?

The contrast is striking compared to Mugello for fabio quartararo. After a difficult weekend, particularly on the long runs, the Frenchman was counting on the "Cathedral" of Assen to get back on track on his Yamaha YZR-M1. While it is still too early to make a full assessment of the pace of the Japanese machine, the first signs are encouraging, with quite simply the best time in the Friday afternoon practice session, and therefore a direct promotion to Q2.

Positive after this first day, the 2021 world champion nonetheless remains cautious. But, teased by our colleagues, he admits that he has his sights set on a fourth pole position this season, after the three consecutive pole positions he achieved at Jerez. Le Mans and Silverstone.

"We can hope for a good result. I don't want to talk too much before we start, but we have the pace, we also have what it takes on the fast lap, so we'll have to see what we can do. Fourth pole, I think I can say, is achievable. The objective, however, remains the front row.", he explained, now that a pole position would be seen as a bonus and not the minimum required.

Lower temperatures, the key to success for Yamaha?

Quartararo was keen to point out that there were still some positives to be taken from Mugello, mainly due to the bike's handling over one lap. However, the near-scorching temperatures encountered in Tuscany limited his progress in the race, resulting in much greater tire wear than expected. And especially greater than that of his direct rivals.

The fact that the temperature in the Netherlands has dropped significantly compared to Italy could therefore be to the advantage of Nice. Be careful, however, because the weather forecast is calling for a warming in the coming days... "At Mugello, I felt the bike well, but it was only for one lap. I think here we manage to keep the tires warm because it's cooler. At Mugello, I felt the bike well, except that it was getting worse, the temperatures were much too high and lap by lap, the tire was destroying itself, causing difficulties. If it gets warmer, it will work against us, for sure, but it's the same for everyone. Even if it's a little against us, we'll have to try to stay calm and do the best we can."

The Frenchman also reflected on the afternoon session, which was marked by numerous crashes. He blamed the need for almost everyone to use Michelin's medium front tire in preparation for Sunday's long race. With low temperatures, many riders were caught out on Friday.

"The temperatures weren't warm enough for the medium, everyone wanted to try it, even me. It's true that there were some pretty tricky spots, but I think that with more temperature it will be the tire to use. For us this Friday, everything went well, there was nothing really strange."

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Interview by Luca Bartolomeo, in Assen.