BLAZING THE TRACK
SRT’s Quartararo shines in Qatar
PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s (SRT) Fabio Quartararo sent out a clear signal to his rookie rivals after backing up his strong performance in pre-season testing with an equally impressive outing on the first day of the Qatar Motorcycle Grand Prix on Friday.
The 19-year-old ended the opening day in fifth place in the second practice session (FP2) after clocking one minute and 54.154 seconds at the Losail International Circuit as teammate Franco Morbidelli, who suffered a heavy crash in FP2, settled for seventh on 1:54.275s.
Quartararo, whose early performances have placed him as a firm contender for the Rookie of the Year title, said he is hoping to build on his momentum for qualifying and also work on his race pace.
“I actually made a few mistakes on my fast lap, so it was a surprise to see that I had managed a 1:54.1s. This means I could even have managed a high 53s or an even lower 54s,” said the Frenchman.
“I am really happy with the pace we have set tonight and the job the team have done. We need to stay calm and keep working in the same way. I have felt good so far in the two free practice sessions.”
By comparison, fellow rookies Joan Mir (1:54.402s), Francesco Bagnaia (1:54.801s) and Miguel Oliveira (1:55.635s) ended the opening day in 10th, 14th and 20th respectively.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah was further down in 22nd after clocking 1:56.437s. Hafizh, who rode a Yamaha last year, switched to a KTM this season but has found the going tough so far.
“This first day (Friday) was a bit difficult for me. This morning I lost the front on the second lap and I couldn’t understand why this happened,” said Hafizh.
“I tried to come back step by step and finally FP2 was a lot better. But for me it is really not easy to stop the bike in the middle of the corner.
“Overall, the turning is my weak point at the moment. Anyway, together with the team we will work harder, trying to understand everything and always look forward to improve.”
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez was the fastest man on the day, topping the timesheets with a 1:53.380s. Monster Energy Yamaha's Maverick Vinales (1:53.854s) and Jack Miller (1:53.908s) of Alma Pramac Racing were second and third fastest.