English
Italiano
Only Alex Marquez did better than he did in the last effort of 2024 before the winter break. That's why Fabio Quartararo, second in the 2025 test session at Montmelo, ended a difficult year with a smile.
"Thanks to the new frame, we improved a bit with rear grip but, on the traction front, nothing has changed, and the plan is to bring a massive update to Malaysia. The frame? It allowed us to improve the transition from straight to fully bent. Now we have to progress in the next phase. For the moment, we found the way to do better in entreing, so we have to focus on exiting," he commented. "How does it feel to see my name in front? They're only tests, but it feels good. We're still a long way from the strongest, but I at least had fun and did some good laps."
One of the innovations on Tuesday was the Prima Pramac team's debut with the M1s. "It 's good to have four riders, even though I haven't been able to talk to them yet because I've been busy. It's definitely helpful to be able to have four factory bikes and have two riders coming from just as many manufacturers, as well as several engineers from other brands," he admitted.
He also spoke briefly with Miller: "We exchanged a few words. He told me what his sensations were, but he hadn't even mounted the hard front. One day is not enough to understand our bike, however it was important to hear everyone's feedback because I think there are some strengths, like the front, but also many flaws to correct. The new parts we tried? The engine, fairing, and swingarm. The latter with the goal of reducing weight. The program was to confirm the sensations, not to make improvements."
Taking overall stock, the transalpine rider stated: "It's been a frustrating year, with no podiums and no relevant results but, in the last four events, we've progressed, and that's crucial."
The comeback, however, will be far from immediate. "Today, there were at least fifteen Japanese in the garge? There were also fifteen Italians. The way of working has improved a lot this year. It wasn't easy for Yamaha to change its mentality, and it took a long time. There have also been changes on a testing level. Of course, we'd like to get back up front right away, but that won't happen. Are we closer to the strongest? I don't know, because it's difficult to assesss in testing, but we're faster. In Thailand, we'll get a more concrete idea."
Before the well-deserved rest, there's going to be more to come. "I still have some meetings with the technicians, but I don't feel like it's a job. I enjoy riding and pushing the bike to the limit. Our goal is to get back up in front and, anything that can help us, we'll do it. What did I ask Santa? Power, even if, in this case, he gave us some early, but we want more. Then, grip, because we're far off, and we need to be fast.
