MotoGP, Quartararo: "We need to work hard, my potential is better than 8th"

Fabio Quartararo knows he was lucky in Japan. Eighth place in Motegi could have been disastrous for his ranking but his opponents did worse: Bagnaia crashed out and Espargarò was eliminated by a mistake in the box. So, on Sunday evening at Motegi he was able to give himself a breath of fresh air, after seeing his advantage over Pecco increase to 18 points and that over Aleix to 25.

However, it is not enough and the race in Buriram, in Thailand, will once again be fundamental. On paper, it is a track that is well suited to the Frenchman and Yamaha: in 2018 Fabio, in his debut season in MotoGP, was 5th and the following year on the podium thanks to a 2nd place.

“Leaving Motegi with an increased lead in the championship is positive, but we need to work hard this weekend because our potential is better than finishing eighth – underlined Quartararo - I‘m happy that we‘re riding at the Buriram circuit next because that‘s a good circuit for me and also for Yamaha. I came second the last time we rode here in 2019. For sure, I will give my 100% to be on the podium again this time round.”

For his teammate Morbidelli, the Thai round will be another opportunity to improve. In the last few races some small steps forward have been made, but Franco has been unable to reproduce his potential in the race, also because of his difficulties over the flying lap.

“We are now in Thailand, and here we‘re going to try again – he declared - We want to be in Q2. That's important for how the race weekend turns out. Buriram is a circuit that I like, and it suits my current riding style, so this will be a good circuit for me to try again.”