In difficulty since the beginning of the season on the handlebars of his Yamaha, Fabio Quartararo hopes that the fact of competing in three races in three weeks will allow him to get used to the settings of his bike.
After five Grands Prix, Fabio Quartararo is in ninth place in the world championship, 45 points behind leader Francesco Bagnaia, who succeeded him on the MotoGP list. And it is certainly a disappointment for the 24-year-old from Nice. While the off-season tests had given him hope, the Yamaha rider was disappointed: his bike lacked power compared to the competition, embodied by the Ducati riders (Marco Bezzecchi is second in the championship, one point behind his teammate). Seventh in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in mid-May, Fabio Quartararo has decided to return to his settings for the 2021 season, the one in which he became world champion, for the next three Grands Prix : in Italy this Sunday then in Germany and the Netherlands the following two Sundays.
“At first it is of course frustrating because during pre-season we tried a lot of things that I had never tried before: the chassis, the engine, the aerodynamics. But the fact that we don’t use any of these things is frustrating. Then there was the Jerez tests, we had new things and we didn’t use anything,” he said on the eve of the first free practice at the Mugello circuit.
Quartararo: “We have to focus on what we have”
Using the same settings for three races, Fabio Quartararo hopes this tactic will pay off: “It’s frustrating but now we have to focus on what we have and give our best. I think having those three races in a row will also be good for my confidence to have the same bike. It’s what I need, and maybe it’s not the best but at least I know the bike and I’ll have to adapt to what I have. “On June 25, the evening of the Dutch Grand Prix, and before the summer break, we will therefore know if the 2023 season of the French driver is already to be thrown away or if there is still a little hope.