Quartararo is not yet worried at the Sachsenring 

On the podium last year behind a Honda and a KTM, this season the situation is different for fabio quartararo who now has to face an Aprilia, but above all a Ducati… 

Despite five Desmosedici ahead of him in the combined, the world champion does not say he is worried yet, for the moment. “We are slower than them, but that was also the case in Barcelona on the first day,” the Frenchman said on Friday evening. I have the feeling that they have less trouble than us when the grip is weak, and that we have a similar pace when the grip is better. » 

Medium, hard, a headache… 

With 30 laps to cover on Sunday, tire choice is crucial. During the first two sessions, Quartararo had the opportunity to get an idea of ​​the Michelin allocation for this German weekend. “The feeling wasn't bad, but I felt like I had a worn tire,” he said of the hard rear tire. We are rather regular and I was able to achieve 1'21.6, 1'21.5, but in comparison with the best, they could do big 1'20, small 1'21 and not me. (…) When I put on the soft, the gap was too big, it was difficult to set good times. 1'20.6, then 1'20.4... I could have done a little better, but when you go from hard tire to soft tire, and here much softer, the difference is too big. »

Day 1 ✅🇩🇪
Struggling with new tires but let's find something for tomorrow 😈 pic.twitter.com/cVxINvSwbG

- Fabio Quartararo (@ FabioQ20) June 17, 2022

The medium seems a good compromise, but the Niçois would like to be able to wear the hard shoes for the race. Everything will depend on the grip of the track and the temperatures which are expected to be higher on Saturday and Sunday. “I only tried it in the morning, I completed 24 laps and it was not bad. There is a better performance, after which the drop is too great. We have to find a solution, because, I remember in Barcelona, ​​I was struggling the first day with the grip, but then it got better every day, so I hope it will be the same. When the grip is low, you suffer much more. I hope the grip will be better and we can improve. »

And added: “Tomorrow I would like to do some laps with the medium tire in hot conditions to see the performance and the wear, but also seeing the performance of the hard at the rear is very important, because the pace n It's not that bad, but we're missing that half second at the beginning, which I don't know how to find. (…) I would like to race with the hard tire, but we need to find performance in the first laps, and a little more grip. I hope it will be like Barcelona. We had more grip on Saturday and it was better. »