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The first round in Thailand for Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha was certainly encouraging. Despite a 7th place finish in the Sprint, and a 15th in the long race, also and above all the performance of newcomer Jack Miller seems to have brought a smile back to the Frenchman's face after the past years without results. Undoubtedly the work to be put in to close the gap with the other manufacturers is still a lot, and the Argentine circuit could represent another important step to ascertain the level reached by the M1 of Iwata. Not having raced here last year and not having conducted tests, as was the case in Thailand, will put everyone on an equal footing, and for Fabio Quartararo this could therefore represent an important first step in order to catch a glimpse of his real prospects also in terms of the championship.
"It will be important to start with a good qualifying - began the Frenchman - I think Yamaha has made progress, we saw it in Malaysia and Miller also showed it in Thailand, and I also felt an improvement despite the fact that the sensations with the tires were not the best."
Could the second round in Thailand, which slipped away last year, change the balance in the field?
"I expect a track with little grip, but that will improve session after session. Tomorrow's day will certainly be the most challenging, certainly mistakes will be made but I will try to give my best. I think this track will be an even better opportunity for us to understand the real potential of this bike. Especially on Sunday we will see if the feeling will be more like Thailand or Malaysia, hopefully the latter or even better. I don't think it will be a jump in the dark, we have data from 2022 and 2023 so I'm not worried."
Another hot topic is the changeover between Michelin and Pirelli as the sole supplier also for MotoGP from 2027, coinciding with the change in regulations.
"I think the arrival of Pirelli is still far away, I don't know what their plan will be for 2027 but I think they know what they are doing. They are a big company and they are already in Superbike and Formula 1, so I think they have more than enough experience to handle MotoGP as well. As for the development, however, I think it will be important to give us the opportunity to test as soon as possible because these will be really important tests for the development of the bike as well," the Frenchman concluded.
Alex Rins: "Fabio still makes a difference under braking."
The Argentine track evokes sweet memories for Alex Rins, who scored a few podiums here in his years riding for Suzuki, before the injuries that undermined his aspirations and results in the years to follow. For the Spaniard, the first round in Thailand ended perhaps below expectations, with two 17th positions, but with the same positivity that distinguishes the Yamaha riders, struggling with the many changes and the much untapped and undiscovered potential. However, he also does not spare a bit of self-criticism in the comparison with the other side of the box, with Fabio Quartararo who still seems to have a little bit extra on the Japanese manufacturer's M1.
"This track is special for me, I have done well here in the past - began the Spaniard - both in the Suzuki years and with Honda with which I immediately got into Q2. We are sure that tomorrow morning we will struggle and the conditions will be difficult with little grip, we will have to be careful and not go crazy with the setup because losing your way is easy. We will see what we will be able to do, but it will also be interesting to see the current level of the Yamaha. We haven't raced here in two years, and I know they've run cars here in the past, so that could be a problem."
What expectations do you have compared to your opponents?
"As a rule, Aprilias in the past have always had an advantage in similar conditions with low grip, but I think Honda will also benefit from that."
What do you lack compared to other Yamaha riders?
"Compared to my brandmates and Fabio with whom I share the box, at Buriram what I had the most difficulty in was just the setup of the bike, the engineers can confirm that and Max can tell you. In the fast corners we were well or badly aligned, the same in acceleration, but in braking Fabio can stop the bike better, his riding style is very different from mine. It's true that I now have a year and a few months of experience on this bike, but I still don't feel it is fully mine. We are working on it, but sometimes it is difficult. I have to be strong mentally because it's since Austin 2023 or Mugello when I broke my leg that I can't show my potential," the Spaniard admits.
What do you think of Ogura's debut in MotoGP?
"I didn't have a chance to relate to him directly on the track, but from the outside it seemed to me that everything came easy for him in understanding the bike, the electronics. Bezzecchi was also competitive, so that means the Aprilia is not that bad, but he is still a rookie, if he continues like this the podium for him could come soon."
