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On the American circuit in Austin, Yamaha did not shine, with the two blue-clad standard bearers relegated to the bottom of the standings: 15th and 16th. Of the Japanese manufacturers' difficulties much has been said, but today's Sprint certainly put the spotlight on a discouraging situation, to say the least. If on the one hand the newly-approved Rins, who also won here just last season riding a Honda no less, put an early end to his own expectations with a mistake at the start, and with no possibility of remedy, the talk for Quartararo is different.
The Frenchman, fresh from his renewal at Yamaha with a two-year deal that arrived like a bolt out of the blue, was perhaps hoping for a less uphill sprint, despite the hostile qualifying, but it seems that both he and the house of the three tuning forks have now instead taken on a radical new strategy: development to the bitter end.
"During this weekend at every exit I tried something new," Quartararo began, " even during the Sprint we went out with a setup we had never used. I think in our current state it's a good thing to make attempts with some great new options. Finishing 13th or 15th will not make a big difference for us come this far. I think we are working in the right direction even if the results are not showing it, we are trying things we haven't tried in the past."
Has the Sprint then become almost a test day for you?
"No, but I think we will still bring something new to tomorrow's race as well. Now is not the time to act conservatively, we are working on the geometries of the setup of the bike, we have raised it, lowered it ... we have tried more things in this race than in the whole of last season. It's clearly difficult, but I think it's a direction worth trying. I won't say it's necessarily the right direction, but it might be a way to bring out some positive ideas for the future."
Doesn't this constant change in setup risk affecting your feelings as a rider?
"Yes it is clear, but not having a satellite team at the moment we have to do it ourselves, trying to make as many choices as possible."
Are overtaking in Austin more difficult than on other circuits?
"For us they definitely are, because there are points on the track where we suffer a lot. Today I was chasing Alex Marquez and every time I got closer I lost him in the next sector. I don't know if it's actually just a matter of the track, but today I had this problem."
He announced it back in February, but now it is clear for all to see: Lin Jarvis will leave Yamaha at the end of the season.
"I don't think any team principal has stayed as long as he has, but I am convinced that he will not leave us completely, he will continue to come to many races although maybe in a different capacity."
Alex Rins: it's not just about wrong setup
"On the second lap I went out with them and I found myself last - the Spaniard then intervenes - I tried to ride with my style of riding, even making some overtakes and trying to move up the classification but we have difficulties in the second half of the race. In the last laps I had no support at the front and I 'm starting to convince myself that it's not just a setup issue, I can't say for sure, it could be the engine or something else. I will have to continue to adapt and understand this bike better in the next few races."
