Fabio Quartararo: "In this sport you have to be false"

It is difficult for Fabio Quartararo (Nice, 1999) to maintain his status as reigning champion in the MotoGP World Championship.

Despite this, he is relaxed and satisfied with his season before the Valencia GP, where he arrives with the middle finger of his left hand like a botifarró, crooked and swollen after suffering a fracture in the phalanx during the Malaysian GP.

He still doesn't even know when he will have surgery, since he has several publicity commitments in November and "the plaster doesn't look good in the photos."

The limitations of his Yamaha have ended up sinking the Frenchman in the second part of a season in which he came to have a 91-point advantage over Pecco Bagnaia, Ducati's mainstay and favorite to lift the crown this Sunday.

He needs to win the race and for his rival to suffer a calamity and finish 14th or worse in Cheste to keep the crown.

Ask.

Do you still believe in your possibilities?

Response.

More than believe, I want to fight as always.

Fight for victory, do a good job.

Last year we identified why we weren't fighting for the podium here, and this year we've made a small improvement to be able to do that.

In the end we will have to give everything until the last lap, because something unexpected can always happen.

Yes, it can happen!

In the end, if there is a chance, even a very small one, there it is.

Whatever happens, I want to enjoy the race and finish with a good taste in my mouth, because after that we'll leave for four months and we shouldn't end up in a bad mood before the holidays.

P.

Have you put on a race, a movie or something like that to motivate yourself?

R.

I have not seen the race that everyone talks about [he refers to the Hayden-Rossi duel in 2006, when the Italian lost the title to the American after falling on this same stage], I try to stay away from these things.

Yes, I have reviewed the races of previous years to the millimeter, especially 2021 and 2019. I wanted to analyze where we lost a lot last year and now I am quite clear where those weak points are.

With the team we are going to analyze in detail these curves that choked us last year and see what we got.

P.

You can lose the crown, but you look very calm...

R.

In the end the nerves are there when you have a lot to lose.

Now it is not like that.

I have much to gain and little to lose.

First place is a long way off, we can get there, but that possibility doesn't bother me.

P.

How do you explain having lost a mattress that in the summer reached 91 points?

R.

I think that I, personally, failed in Australia.

There I lost 16 points.

In the other cases I could not do much.

In Thailand we had a problem within the team.

In Aragón the crash with Marc Márquez, which was bad luck.

Pecco had a very good second part of the championship.

He has won five races, many podiums and even in qualifying you can see the dominance of the Ducati.

You can classify very well and you are still surrounded, you have three ahead and another three behind.

P.

In 2020 Joan Mir also cut 48 points.

Do you draw similar lessons from both seasons?

R.

To be honest, in 2020 it was more mental than anything else.

There were also technical problems with the bike, but not like this year.

I would say that both things affected me equally.

Now, simply, it is that we have not evolved.

The limitations are very great, and that is why it has taken me so long to renew with Yamaha.

I told them, 'either wake up or I'm leaving'.

If I stay it is because I have my reasons.

P.

Didn't you see yourself with the possibility of repeating as champion?

R.

I looked very strong, but I knew that I would have problems with the bike from the beginning of the season.

If they told me at the beginning of the year that I would be here now, still fighting for the title, I would not have believed it.

Having been so high up, it hurts a bit to be here now, but we knew exactly that we hadn't improved with the bike.

Q.

When you found out about the problem with the engine, were you not very angry?

R.

Of course I was angry, because there were 18 months to improve the engine and we have not found anything.

The others have taken an amazing step forward and we are in the same place.

I knew I had that problem and in the first few races I was complaining a lot, because from 2020 to 2021 we had the same engines, and from 2021 to 2022 we couldn't make the change.

P.

What is worse, seeing the title escape or having a bad time on the bike?

R.

Both things, especially having a bad time on the bike.

I always want to win, and that's why I haven't enjoyed it so much this year.

I'm not here to finish fifth or sixth.

As a rider I see that I am giving my best and it is not enough.

I know what it's like to make poles, I have 15 or 16, and I've never seen myself going to the limit like this year, where I finish sixth or seventh.

So you think, 'we have a big problem'.

P.

Would you say that it is your best year in terms of driving?

R.

For me yes.

In the end you have to enjoy and always give your best.

For example, in Malaysia, where we know how much we lose on the two straights per lap, we managed to get on the podium.

Before, I couldn't say this, because our bike did turn better in curves than the Ducati.

Now, they beat us in everything, so we have no point to lean on.

P.

The market moves fast, if you don't see yourself above, will you think of other factories?

A.

Of course.

I have a very good relationship with Yamaha.

I won the World Cup last year with them, but in the end you have to look out for your own interests.

I don't want to think about this, because I see that they are making a very big change.

We know that Asian engineers have their rhythms, they take everything more slowly, but we are working to change that mentality and make everything faster.

Now I am focused on the race, but I am also really looking forward to testing the 2023 bike next Tuesday.

P.

Despite the fight and the equality that exists in the championship, the good vibes between the drivers stand out, something that was not always like that in the past and there are those who do not understand it, what do you think?

R.

When I'm on the bike I'm going to kill, but outside I have a good relationship with everyone.

Of course you have to play a little, look for the tickles and put pressure on your rivals.

In this sport, in the end, you have to be fake.

I don't see why we can't be friends and I've heard the opinion of pilots from other times.

It used to be pretty extreme, but I don't see why I won't talk to one of my colleagues.

Being angry is useless, the war takes place on the track.

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