Fabio Quartararo won the 2021 championship despite the shortcomings of his Yamaha motorcycle. Many feel that it is the Ducati that is the best bike on the current grid and that Fabio on a Ducati would be unstoppable. While speaking to GP One, Fabio was asked if he’d consider joining Ducati and he has now responded
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0:00 - Is Fabio Quartararo Considering A Move To Ducati?
1:58 - Fast Feed
Fabio began by speaking about his post race celebrations and how his season was all about consistency
“I finished celebrating at 5 on Monday morning, I think my voice is still in Misano. It was really a great moment. Thinking about the whole season, we did a great job, even at Jerez where I had a problem with my arm and in Barcelona with the leathers, I won with two races to spare”
He was sympathetic to title rival Pecco Bagnaia but pointed out that even if Pecco hadn’t crashed, he would have gone to Portimao with a very healthy lead of 38 points
“It’s a shame for Bagnaia, I really think so. Even if he had won the race, I would have been 5th, a great result for Portimao, but the most important thing is that Pecco didn’t get hurt. However, I think this title was mine”
He then addressed the major shortcoming associated with his bike
“I’m pushing a lot with Yamaha, the bike is going very well and I’m happy, but there are two or three things to improve, the first is the power. The engineers know they will have to focus on the engine, if we can improve our speed, it will be better for us and easier in the race. On some tracks, such as Austin and others with long straights, this limit is felt on the flying lap, but especially in the race because it is difficult to overtake”
He signed off by responding to whether a move to Ducati in the near future is a possibility
“For the moment everything is open for the future, we must listen to everyone, but now I’m focused on the last races, it’s too early to talk about 2022. There is my manager Eric [Mahé] who manages all these things”
Fast Feed
MotoGP bound Darryn Binder is “super happy. it’s [his] lifelong dream to race MotoGP, so when this opportunity came along, it was a no brainer for [him] to say yes and take the step” [News 24]
“I also do believe that if you are going to make a big step like this, the best bike to do it on is the Yamaha. It seems to be one of the easier bikes to ride in the MotoGP class at this stage, and I see that as a big positive”, he added
“While the traditional route would be to race in Moto2 first, it can be a tough class to be competitive in. It is a one-make class with many good riders where small things make a big difference, so it is a demanding environment to make a name for yourself”
SRT team principal Razlan Razali has stated that their “interest in Raul Fernandez was very strong. It wasn’t so much what we or Yamaha wanted to pay him. We tried everything to achieve it” [Speedweek]
“I know we stepped on some people’s toes in the process, but we had to try. And, no matter how much we went after him, we always respected the existing contracts”
“Of course, there is an exit clause in all contracts. Both Yamaha and we had a certain amount in mind, but the amount requested kept going up. At one point, it became too risky”, he revealed
Yamaha motor racing’s managing director Lin Jarvis has explained that the statistics “show that Fabio [Quartararo] doesn’t leave a stone unturned yet manages to not let the pressure of a possible championship title get to him” [Motorcycle Sports]
“He fights and beats the opposition fairly, purely on talent and race craft. And last but not least, he walks the tight line between relentless dedication to winning and improving while also having fun”
“A quality that our team has witnessed before with Yamaha’s most successful premier class rider Valentino Rossi”, he concluded
Pablo Nieto, Sky VR46 team manager, has revealed that they’ve “got an agreement with Aramco. Things are going very, very slow, but [they] are going the way [they] have to go”
“That is the most important thing, we have to keep working and at this point we can only say that we are working on it. There are some delays, but we are on the right track and we will continue to work”
“We have a very strong will because in the end we are arriving with our own team completely made from scratch”, he summed up
Honda’s Marc Marquez has stated that “mentally, the injury doesn’t slow [him] down at all [he doesn't] run thinking [he’s] injured”
“But the pain makes you think, it prevents you from riding as before. It’s not the same thing to ride thinking only about the bike”
“I like to control my emotions, but sometimes they explode. One of my weaknesses was not being able to accept not being ready to win, not being able to go fast”, he summed up
Was it the right decision by SRT to give up on signing Raul Fernandez?
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