2023-10-12 06:22:28
Fabio Quartararo took a strong third place at the Indian GP three weeks ago; It was his second podium finish following Texas 2023. But in the home of Yamaha, of all places, the Frenchman suffered his next setback two weeks ago in Motegi – no points in the sprint, and only 10th place on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the 2021 MotoGP World Champion and 2022 Vice World Champion is quite confident for the upcoming Indonesia GP on the Mandalika Street Circuit.
“To be honest, I have great expectations on this slope,” said “El Diablo” in an interview with journalists on Thursday on the holiday island of Lombok (near Bali). «Because we have a tire in the allocation that we only have available once a year – namely here. Its casing is different from all other constructions that Michelin otherwise supplies all year round. We have similar tires in India and Buriram, but this hard construction should help us especially here. I don’t want to claim that we have an advantage at Yamaha because of this. Because this rear tire will have less of an advantage for Ducati and the others than for us. That’s why I expect and hope that we can fight for the podium on this track.”
It has been a long time since Quartararo expressed hopes of a top-three result before the first practice session at a Grand Prix. «Yes, because I expect that the other manufacturers, with all their engine power, will not be able to derive any real benefit from this tire, especially for the races, but we will. Our motorcycle hasn’t changed much in the past. But a lot has happened in tire development during this time. The tire I’m talking regarding is five years old, I think. That’s why I expect we can achieve something great with this. Hopefully I won’t make a mistake by speaking so confidently. I’ll find out tomorrow.”
“I had already walked many laps around the slopes before today’s ‘track walk’,” said Fabio. «I saw that the matter was a bit dirty. But I know that the asphalt was dirtier at the first MotoGP winter test here in 2022 and also at the Grand Prix last year, I think. We also have Moto3 and Moto2 on the track before our first training session on Friday, as well as the Asian Talent Cup . That’s why the race track will be much cleaner and faster over the course of Friday.”
What does Quartararo say regarding Márquez’s move to Gresini Ducati? Will the Spaniard be very difficult to beat in 2024? “Yes,” sighed the Frenchman. “He will make life really difficult for all of us. Marc is the reference for the last ten years. He will have a very competitive bike and will make life extremely difficult for us.”
So will Fabio also switch to Ducati following 2024? “We keep calm,” he smiled. “That’s something I don’t have in mind at the moment.”
MotoGP results GP race, Motegi, October 1st:
1. Martin, Ducati, 12 Rdn in 24:06,314 min
2. Bagnaia, Ducati, +1.413 sec
3. Marc Márquez, Honda, +2,013
4. Bezzecchi, Ducati, + 2,943
5. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 3.181
6. Miller, KTM, + 6,837
7. Augusto Fernández, KTM, +7,587
8. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +8,602
9. Raúl Fernández, Aprilia, +11,229
10. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 12,244
11. Nakagami, Honda, +14,714
12. Mir, Honda, +14,924
13. Crutchlow, Yamaha, +16,057
14. Bradl, Honda, +17,253
15. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +24,921
16. Pirro, Ducati, + 33,962
17. Morbidelli, Yamaha, +1:14.934 min
MotoGP results Sprint, Motegi (30.9.):
1. Martin, Ducati, 12 Rdn in 21:00,734 min
2. Binder, KTM, + 1,390 sec
3. Bagnaia, Ducati, +5,276
4. Miller, KTM, + 6,194
5. Zarco, Ducati, +6,315
6. Bezzecchi, Ducati, +8,919
7. Marc Márquez, Honda, +9,298
8. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +10,189
9. Viñales, Aprilia, +12,404
10. Raúl Fernández, Aprilia, +15,366
11. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +15,473
12. Augusto Fernández, KTM, + 15,592
13. Mir, Honda, +17,052
14. Oliveira, Aprilia, +18,092
15. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 19,333
16. Morbidelli, Yamaha, +19,645
17. Nakagami, Honda, +21,862
18. Crutchlow, Yamaha, +26,026
19. Pirro, Ducati, + 27,911
20. Bradl, Honda, +28,178
– Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 4 laps back
World Championship standings following 28 of 40 races:
1. Bagnaia, 319 Punkte. 2. Martin 316. 3. Bezzecchi 265. 4. Binder 201. 5. Aleix Espargaró 171. 6. Zarco 162. 6. 7. Viñales 139. 8. Marini 135. 9. Miller 125. 10. Quartararo 111. 11. Alex Márquez 108. 12. Morbidelli 77. 13. Oliveira 69. 14. Augusto Fernández 67. 15. Marc Márquez 64. 16. Di Giannantonio 52. 17. Rins 47. 18. Nakagami 45. 19. Raúl Fernández 36. 20. Pedrosa 32. 21. Bastianini 25. 22. Mir 20. 23. Pol Espargaró 12. 24. Savadori 9. 25. Folger 9. 26. Bradl 8. 27. Pirro 5. 28. Petrucci 5. 29. Crutchlow 3.
Constructors’ World Championship:
1. Ducati, 490 Punkte. 2. KTM 272. 3. Aprilia 240. 4. Honda 142. 5. Yamaha 131.
Team World Cup:
1. Prima Pramac Racing 478 Punkte. 2. Mooney VR46 Racing 400. 3. Ducati Lenovo Team 354. 4. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 326. 5. Aprilia Racing 310. 6. Monster Energy Yamaha 188. 7. Gresini Racing 161. 8. CryptoDATA RNF 109. 9. LCR Honda 98. 10. GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3, 88. 11. Repsol Honda 84.
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#expects #podium