Quartararo might solely muster a Twelfth-place end in the very best of the 2 manufacturing facility Yamahas in Saturday’s half-distance race on the Losail Worldwide Circuit, ending virtually 13 seconds off the lead in what was solely an 11-lap contest.
Having already suffered all weekend with an absence of tempo in low-grip situations, the Frenchman additionally reported heavy degradation on his Michelin rubber within the closing levels of the dash, which led to him dropping a spot to VR46 Ducati’s Marco Bezzecchi on the ultimate lap.
Whereas the consequence didn’t shock the 2021 champion as he had tempered his expectations heading into the brand new season, he described the problems with tyre put on at Losail as “actually unusual”.
“By way of place I used to be not anticipating higher as a result of it’s the tempo we had throughout the take a look at, it’s the tempo that we had throughout the weekend,” he stated. “However the way in which we completed was actually, actually unusual.
“It isn’t that I am damaging, however once you see that you’ve got such a giant degradation on the dash and that you don’t have any different alternative of rear tyre for the race, actually the query is not even the place, it is ‘Can we end the race?’ It was actually beginning to get difficult.”
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Manufacturing unit Racing
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Quartararo caught with the medium tyre on each the entrance and rear of his M1, the identical compound he’ll once more choose within the full 22-lap race on Sunday.
Having not gone aggressive together with his alternative of rubber, the Yamaha rider was puzzled as to why he suffered such heavy degradation over the course of the dash.
“Within the take a look at, we had slightly drop,” he defined. “I did a couple of laps [that were] a lot sooner and my dash race simulation was perhaps six or seven seconds sooner than at the moment.
“We all know that within the situations of the take a look at the grip is far larger and it’s a profit for us, however the drop we had at the moment we by no means actually had it, particularly within the dash race.
“It is 11 laps solely. If I used to be with the delicate compound I might perceive, but it surely was the race compound and we had many issues.”
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Manufacturing unit Racing
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Quartararo had no logical rationalization for his points on Saturday, saying the extent of the tyre drop-off can’t be completely right down to a change in monitor situations in comparison with the Qatar pre-season take a look at.
“It is regular that throughout the take a look at there may be all the time extra rubber on the track. As a result of we journey all day, there may be all the time Michelin rubber. Extra laps, extra laps, so the monitor is totally completely different to what we used to have within the race. However I by no means actually felt that a lot distinction.”
Quartararo’s team-mate Alex Rins languished in seventeenth place in his first aggressive outing for Yamaha, ending one other three seconds again after 11 laps of racing.
Rins additionally raised tyre put on as a critical concern within the grand prix for Yamaha, having already reported a major discount in efficiency within the closing laps of the dash.
“I used to be attempting to handle as most as doable the rear tyre,” he admitted. “Within the final 5 laps I used to be struggling loads so I do not know the way it’s going to be on Sunday. For certain we might want to take extra care of the rear tyre.
He added: “The tyre degradation was a restrict for me the final 4 laps. However earlier than these 4 laps, I used to be using not that dangerous. I might say it was not that massive of an issue.
“However fascinated about Sunday’s race, that it is double the laps, for certain it will likely be an issue.”