Contrasting first day for Quartararo at the Red Bull Ring

During his press briefing at the end of the first day of the Styrian GP, fabio quartararo initially drew up a positive assessment of his first laps since the last meeting in Assen. “ It went pretty well, declared the championship leader. Knowing that we didn't put on a new tire at the end of the session and that after five weeks of break, it always takes a little time to regain confidence. "

And as for the performance of the Yamaha YZR-M1 compared to last year, the Frenchman is also delighted: “ It's much better. We have a feeling that we didn't have at all last year. The sensations were horrible, but this year, from the first laps, I was already going faster. I have a better feeling at the front… clearly we have a better bike than last year. "

But if in the dry it is better than in 2020, it is in the wet that the problem lies and the second free practice session took place precisely in these conditions. “ Grip is very poor in the wet, he lamented. I was with Jorge Martin and Pol Espargaro. When braking and cornering, I would say it's not bad, but as soon as I open the throttle... It's not in terms of power, but rather grip in a straight line. FP2 was somewhat of a nightmare. »

Good to be back! A lot of work…
📸 x @gambutiphoto pic.twitter.com/vtVWrTAJ6s

- Fabio Quartararo (@ FabioQ20) August 6

It's no secret that Quartararo has rarely ridden in the rain on the handlebars of a MotoGP and these conditions are not his favorite, but according to him, the problem does not come from there. “ Valentino (Red) is probably the most experienced rider in the wet, and we have, I think, the same comments, he stressed. In 2019, I think I never finished beyond the Top 10 in the wet (…), but since last year, I have a strange feeling. We have to find a solution, because it is expected to rain on Sunday and I have no feeling. I'm a little disappointed, but we still have tomorrow. It's not expected to rain, but it should be on Sunday, let's hope we find a way to progress. "

And to conclude: " In the dry, it's positive, but in the rain, it's still complicated and I think we'll have to take another step to avoid being ridiculous on Sunday. "

As a reminder, Quartararo and Jorge Lorenzo are the only two Yamaha riders to have appeared on the podium at the Red Bull Ring since the return of the Austrian track to the Grand Prix calendar in 2016.