Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha head to the Portuguese MotoGP with tempered expectations, not anticipating significant improvements.
Fabio Quartararo has been informed by Yamaha that there will be “no quick turnarounds” at the Portuguese MotoGP.
The initial optimism during the Yamaha preseason, bolstered by the addition of former Ducati engineers Max Bartolini and Marco Nicotra, faded after a lackluster season opener in Qatar MotoGP.
Quartararo finished 11th, with his teammate Alex Rins in 16th position.
Any expectations for a significant improvement in the upcoming round of the 2024 MotoGP season at Portimao are being tempered.
“Our position in the previous GP has shown us the reality,” stated Massimo Meregalli, the Yamaha team director.
“It is evident that we have areas to improve, so this upcoming week will be quite intense for us.
“However, as previously mentioned, the changes we are implementing are not quick fixes – achieving the substantial progress we seek will require time and dedicated effort.
“Nevertheless, the team and Yamaha are fully committed to seeking enhancements at every opportunity and providing complete support to Fabio and Alex.”
“This race weekend will be crucial for us, as it provides an opportunity to validate our discoveries from the Qatar GP.”
Quartararo added, “The Qatar GP marked a challenging start to the season, but now we have a clear focus on areas to improve.
“The Portimao circuit offers a distinct contrast to Lusail, so it will be intriguing to assess the bike’s performance and tire wear differences.
“With no points in the Qatar Sprint, we find ourselves in the middle of the standings. Our goal is to climb higher this weekend.
“As always, I’ll be pushing to the limit, and I know the team shares the same determination. Let’s see what we can achieve!”
Rins commented, “Despite the less than ideal result in Qatar, the race provided valuable data for us to learn from heading into Portimao.
“It was disappointing to struggle with tire degradation in the last six laps due to our aggressive recovery efforts.
“However, I’m encouraged by our performance, as we were matching the pace of other Yamaha riders. This indicates we are on par, and together we can work towards improvement.”
Yamaha is facing a battle to retain their star rider Quartararo beyond this year when his contract expires.
With Aprilia reportedly showing interest in securing his signature for 2025, Yamaha understands the importance of proving their competitiveness to Quartararo.
Since his 2021 championship win, Quartararo and Yamaha have faced challenges.
While immediate hope for a turnaround might not be expected at Portimao this week, Yamaha is treating the second round of the championship as a crucial opportunity for data collection and project development.
Among the key areas to address is the unexpected struggle with race pace observed in Qatar.
Stay tuned with We4GP for more news.
