Fabio Quartararo heads back home, noting, “While the Mugello test following the French GP may hold greater significance for the team, this round carries immense personal meaning for me.”
Fabio Quartararo has graced the MotoGP podium 31 times throughout his career, yet only once has he had the privilege of doing so in front of his home fans in France. That solitary occasion came with a third-place finish on his way to clinching the 2021 world title.
However, this season’s results suggest that securing another podium may prove to be a formidable challenge for Quartararo, albeit not entirely out of reach. Despite a remarkable performance at Jerez, where he charged from 23rd to third place in the chaos of the Sprint race, he was later penalized for a post-race tyre pressure infringement.
His most notable result this season has been a seventh-place finish at Portimao, leaving him currently positioned twelfth in the world championship standings, albeit as the leading rider on a Japanese bike.
Following the post-race test at Jerez, Yamaha introduced several new components for the M1, some of which Quartararo plans to evaluate again this weekend before an essential private test at Mugello next week.
Quartararo remarked, “While the Mugello test after the French GP may hold greater significance for the team, this round is very special to me. I always cherish my home GP, relishing the opportunity to connect with the passionate fans – their enthusiastic cheers are truly uplifting.”
He added, “This weekend, we’ll be incorporating insights from the Jerez Test to assess their performance on this track. I’m eager to see how the data aligns. Hopefully, we can enjoy a fruitful weekend and achieve some commendable results.”
Yamaha tested new aerodynamic features, chassis adjustments, and electronic configurations at Jerez.
Team-mate Alex Rins has decided against utilizing the new aerodynamic setup, which features a three-plane front wing, at Le Mans. However, he intends to continue with the electronic configurations.
“Last week’s Jerez Test provided us with valuable insights and positive outcomes. While we won’t be incorporating the new aero package in Le Mans just yet, we’ll focus on refining our electronic setups throughout the weekend,” stated Rins, who currently sits in 19th place in the world championship standings.
“I’m eager for the French GP. We’ll analyze our findings from the Jerez Test here in Le Mans and implement them in race conditions. It’s a crucial and bustling period for Yamaha, so we’ll approach our preparations systematically, taking it one step at a time, gearing up for the private test in Mugello immediately following this GP.”
Following their private Mugello test, the Yamaha duo will compete in the Catalunya round before heading back to Mugello for the Italian MotoGP weekend, followed by an official test.
Stay tuned with We4GP for more news.
