Quartararo: “It’s the first time this season that I feel like that”

Winner from pole position last season at Mugello, fabio quartararo starts as the legitimate favorite for victory in this Italian GP. But for the moment, things are not going as well as a year ago for the world champion. “It’s weird because last year, I felt on top from the start, and now I’m really not feeling well,” he confessed Friday evening. This is the first time this season that I have felt like this, apart from in Qatar. »

23^e in the top speed rankings, Quartararo suffers cruelly on the long Mugello straight. It was to be expected, but this Friday, he was unable to make up for the time lost in the winding sections. “Of course we lack top speed, but there are other things,” he said. I don't feel confident when I ride, at any moment I could make a mistake. I feel like I'm not feeling well, so we're going to put the bike back exactly like last year and see what happens, that's the only idea we have. My bike isn't much different, so I don't know if it's going to be a big change. »

“We’ll have to find that little something that will make the difference”

During the two free practice sessions, the Frenchman had the opportunity to try a new aerodynamic fairing, but it is clearly not enough for the Yamaha rider. “We shouldn't have expected anything huge,” he said. I wouldn't say it's the same as last year, but I wasn't expecting anything crazy. »

Day 1 ✅
Let's find some improvement for tomorrow 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/gPKKvMdlaf

- Fabio Quartararo (@ FabioQ20) May 27, 2022

It's a situation that Quartararo has already had to deal with in the past and he hopes to find that little extra that will allow him to get closer to the front. “It’s happened to me before, that’s why I got a little angry, but also calmed down,” he confided. We will try to find the solution as quickly as possible, but it's a bit annoying to start the weekend like this, knowing that this is normally the circuit where I have the most fun (…). » 

And added: “We look at the data from last year and there is not really a place where I lose, it is small details. We'll have to find that little something that will make the difference. »

A few showers are forecast for Saturday at Mugello and could well change the dynamics of the start of the weekend for the protagonists of the MotoGP.