From row three, Fabio Quartararo faces a Ducati armada at Misano – In damp qualifying, the wet kerbs prevented his cornering speed
Fabio Quartararo faces a difficult task at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano. The Yamaha rider qualified eighth on the grid in the middle of the third row. The problem is that Quartararo has six Ducati’s and one Aprilia in front of him
“That was the maximum I could do,” sighed the reigning MotoGP World Champion. “Of course I am disappointed. ‘Pecco’ rode a very good qualifying. Their bike is the reference at the moment. It’s difficult.”
“I gave 100 per cent today, but it’s only eighth place. It’s only three tenths of a second, but it’s only eighth place. But I know my pace is very good in normal conditions. “
No corner speed due to wet kerbs
The light rain before Q2 reshuffled the cards. First, Quartararo also took to the track on rain tyres. “Even with the rain tyre I was sliding a lot. It was very tricky conditions. Before qualifying, the home straight was completely wet.”
“I saw that Franco [Morbidelli] came to the pits immediately. But I said to myself that it was impossible. The team then sent me the message to come to the pits. I then took several laps to be ready. “
It was possible to do good laps on slicks. But the rule of thumb in such conditions is to stay away from white lines and the kerbs, because they are still wet and very slippery for a relatively long time after a rain shower.
This was a disadvantage for Yamaha, as Quartararo explains: “In these conditions I couldn’t take the kerb in some corners. That’s why I couldn’t ride the corner speed like we have to do with the Yamaha.”
“Turns 6 and 7 were not great because of that. Also in turn 15 I had to go with less corner speed because we couldn’t use the kerbs. I’m disappointed because it’s always the same problem. “
Overtaking will be very difficult in the race
“It’s also less and less fun. We have to find a solution to get faster in qualifying. Over one lap you need a lot of grip. Ducati has a lot of that. This year I have only managed one pole position.” That was on the new track in Indonesia.
Aleix Espargaro starts from ninth on the Aprilia alongside Quartararo. Francesco Bagnaia is fifth on the grid in the Ducati field after his penalty retirement. Bagnaia has the chance to significantly reduce his 44 World Championship points gap to Quartararo.
“That’s the problem,” Quartararo sighs. “I don’t know where to overtake. On this track it’s all about acceleration and the brakes. If you’re not close, then you can’t overtake. Okay, last year I was able to overtake. But the risk I have to take is very high. That’s why I need a great start and a great first lap. “
