Spanish Grand Prix outing gives Petronas MotoGP outfit a new high.
Petronas team take positives from Spanish Grand Prix
PETALING JAYA: There was no podium finish in the end but the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) have made everyone sit up and take notice of their competitiveness despite being the new kid on the block in MotoGP.
A broken gear shifter brought French pole sitter Fabio Quartararo’s race to an end whilst riding in second place while Italian teammate Franco Morbidelli earned his second consecutive top 10 finish after crossing the line in seventh at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on Sunday.
Petronas Yamaha SRT had a fantastic qualifying result on Saturday with Quartararo and Morbidelli finishing first and second fastest respectively.
Team principal Datuk Razlan Razali was looking at the positives achieved over the weekend as the team look forward to the rest of the European races after this.
“The fairy-tale story came to an end but it was still a happy ending. Our riders have shown that they have the pace to be competitive,” said Razlan.
“It’s the first time that both riders have ridden at the front and we must remember that this is only the team’s fourth race.
“Unfortunately, racing can be very brutal and that is what has happened to Fabio (Quartararo) with the mechanical issue.
“Franco (Morbidelli) was the top Independent Team Rider today.
“Our goal is to always be the best Independent Team, so that is a goal we have fulfilled.
“I know that Franco aims higher and he is certainly capable of even stronger results.
“Of course, after seeing what our riders have done this weekend, we want more of the same. But we have to improve step by step and both the riders and the team will learn together. We have done a very good job at this GP and we have great potential.
“We are looking forward to Le Mans, which is also Fabio’s home race,” added Razlan.
The fourth round will take place in Le Mans, France in two weeks’ time. Morbidelli is 10th in the overall standings with 25 points while Quartararo is 13th and the top rookie on 17 points.
Quartararo is not losing sleep over the outcome either.
“You could say that I am both disappointed and happy,” said Quartararo.
“The race was very good, I felt very good on the bike and it was fantastic to ride with the top riders.
“That was until we suffered a small mechanical problem with the gear shifter.
“It’s something very small but it affected us a lot, forcing us to abandon the race.
“Despite this, I’m happy with the work that we’ve done during the weekend and we will continue in the same way at the coming races.
“The whole team have done an exceptional job, but in this sport there are things that you can’t control,” said the 20-yearold, who is the youngest to start from pole in MotoGP.