Yamaha misses the top 10 in Argentina: Fabio Quartararo struggles with race pace, Alex Rins with tire choice – What the M1 lacks most
“It was really a disaster,” says Fabio Quartararo about his race pace at the Argentine Grand Prix. The Yamaha rider – additionally handicapped by an early collision with Marco Bezzecchi – did not finish higher than 14th place.
“Unfortunately, the contact with Bezzecchi in the first corner was unfortunate. I went wide, but our pace has not been particularly good all weekend. Maybe we could have finished a few positions further forward, because if you start from there, you more or less hold your position.”
As in Thailand, Quartararo had qualified directly for Q2 and subsequently qualified in seventh place on the grid. But the early contact and his race pace ruined a strong result. The frustration is correspondingly great.
“There is nothing positive for me this weekend. I don’t think we can really take anything away from this. Maybe that one lap in qualifying – that was acceptable because we were only one and a half tenths off the front row. But as far as race pace is concerned, it was really a disaster.”
With the next round in Austin in mind, he doesn’t want to expect much at all: “Every time I expect something, the opposite happens. So I don’t know what to expect – and I prefer not to expect anything.”
Rins: at the limit with the soft rear tire
It was a tough race for teammate Alex Rins, who crossed the finish line in eleventh place, three positions ahead of Quartararo. But that was mainly due to his tire choice, as he admits.
“I decided to ride with soft rear tires. The team recommended the medium to me, but I said, ‘At least let me enjoy the first few laps, the first part of the race.’ If you try to do your best and the result is not good, then you have to at least have fun.”
In the end, however, the tire choice backfired. “It was pretty clear. After Marini overtook me, he took five seconds off me. That’s the reality at the moment. It’s difficult to do more than what we’ve achieved.”
When asked about the weak points of the Yamaha, Rins says: “The front is great. The problem is traction, cornering grip. In warm-up, I tried an engine setting that really does deliver power very gently.“
”That was better, less wheelspin. But then I just got stuck there, at the exit of the corner,” says Rins. Is there anything positive he can take away from the race? ‘That I managed to finish the race on the soft tires at all.’
Miller: Still lagging behind in terms of grip
Second-best Yamaha rider – between Rins and Quartararo – was Pramac colleague Jack Miller in 13th place. “The race wasn’t too bad. I had some wheel spin at the start, I was a bit too aggressive with the clutch.”
“But then I recovered. To be honest, we had problems with grip on the medium tire. I’m not sure whether we made the right decision or not. With about 11 laps to go, I felt I was getting back to the other guys. But then the grip degradation set in.”
So Miller was no longer able to make any real headway in the final phase. “But it was an educational weekend for us,” he says. “Of course we want to be closer to the front-runners. The other manufacturers seem to have made a small step forward in terms of grip, but we will come back stronger in Texas.”
Miguel Oliveira did not take part in the main race after a collision with Fermin Aldeguer in the sprint. Due to a potential ligament injury to his shoulder, he was forced to withdraw.
