"A disaster".
Fabio Quartararo didn't mince words to define the performance of his Yamaha during the three days of pre-season winter testing at the Sepang circuit (Malaysia).
"It's a mixed feeling. I'm happy with the top speed, the behavior with used tyres, the pace isn't bad but with new tires it's a disaster," said the 2021 world champion.
ANSA agency
Sepang test: Marini and Bagnaia fastest - Bikes
Nine Italian motorcycles in the top 10 on the last day (ANSA)
"We don't know why we are so far away (...). We have to do a 'reset' before Portimao," he continued.
"We have to understand what the problem is. Qualifying is very important and every year we have more and more problems," added Quartararo.
"I'm good on overall pace, but if we don't qualify well, we can't fight for the win or even finish in the top five. We need to improve our speed per lap," added the Frenchman.
In the combined standings he only managed the 17th time of the Sepang tests, trailing by more than a second the fastest, the Italian Luca Marini (Ducati-VR46)..
