The 2021 world champion has been buoyed by Yamaha’s enhance in engine energy for 2023 having lengthy requested a step in high pace, and was happy on the Sepang check that the Japanese marque had introduced so many new objects to strive.
However, on the ultimate day in Malaysia, Quartararo was left scratching his head why he struggled a lot in time assault mode on the 2023 bike, having ended the day 19th on the timesheets.
“Combined emotions, I might say,” Quartararo mentioned on Sunday at Sepang.
“In fact, I’m fairly blissful concerning the high pace, which is one thing that I’ve requested for for a very long time.
“Then, we had many issues to strive. I’m fairly blissful as a result of we requested to check many components.
“However at present the sensation wasn’t nice. I imply, it was nice in some areas and with {old} tyres I’m feeling tremendous blissful. With nearly 22 laps on the tyre, I made a 2m00s.
“However we put the brand new tyre in and it’s a nightmare. So, we’ve got to determine why with the brand new tyre we can not make a step ahead.
“We all know it’s a very powerful factor proper now [because there] shall be dash races, qualifying.
“Proper now we’re not capable of make any step in entrance.
“Final yr in qualifying right here we struggled too. But it surely’s not the explanation we’re one second behind, it’s not wanting so good. So, hopefully in Portimao we discover the answer.”
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Manufacturing facility Racing
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Quartararo says he feels sooner than he’s when working qualifying simulations, and says Yamaha’s time assault type is “the most important query mark” having seen a downwards development in his personal pole place tally since his rookie yr in 2019.
“That’s what we’re in search of,” he added when requested what the issue was.
“This can be a drawback: If I don’t have a look at the display screen and have a look at my lap time, I really feel like I’m using in 1m58s low.
“However then I have a look at the lap time and I’m 1m59s low. It’s like, ‘what is going on?’ It’s not like I arrive to the field and I’m saying ‘I’m dropping the entrance in all places, I’ve no grip’.
“I don’t know what’s going on. That is the most important drawback.
“It’s the most important query mark and I really feel like yearly we’ve got been dropping a lot in qualifying. Now it’s inconceivable and the worst factor is we don’t know why.”
In his rookie yr, Quartararo scored six pole positions and 4 in 2020, earlier than registering 5 in 2021 and just one final season.