Fabio: ‘We are defenceless’
2021 champ downbeat after Portimao
The longest ever MotoGP season of 42 races is shaping up to be a nightmare for 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo.
He was disconsolate after the season opener at Portimao which again exposed the weaknesses in the Yamaha M1 playbook
Without faster qualifying and running in clear air, the M1 is at the mercy of top speed dominant V4s.
“We are defenceless. I am at a loss when people ask me what we can do,” Quartararo said.
The final five laps of Sunday’s 25 lapper showed why.
Quartararo recovered from a messy, miscued opening lap to charge from 15th to eighth.
Then he hit a group of expertly ridden Ducatis and KTMs and was unable to dismantle the V4 pack of Johann Zarco, Alex Marquez, Brad Binder and Jack Miller. He finished eighth, just 0.5s adrift of Ducati mounted Zarco.
“It’s impossible to fight with these guys at the front. It's not just the Ducati. We have an inline engine, so it's a completely different bike to the opposition. They have a completely different grip and we have no idea how to improve the situation. We stalk closer but never enough to overtake.
“They drive away on every straight, we catch up, but after the next corner they are out of reach.”
The positivity of pre-season testing has evaporated. Quartararo had won in 2021 and 2022 at Portimao, easing away from Ducatis both times. If Yamaha can’t win at Portimao, then where?
Quartararo likened the aggression of the Saturday Sprint race to a jungle, saying he preferred two standard GP races.
“But I don’t want to be a rider who complains about everything. They tell me to race and I race,” he said.
He just needs a faster weapon.
‘I’m at a loss when people ask what we can do’