At the end of a very long season that has been short on satisfaction, the only podium being the one at Jerez and a couple in the sprints, Fabio Quartararo is reckoning with a Yamaha whose best moments he has also experienced. Of all of them, the Frenchman surprisingly remembers most fondly his beginnings, those free from the pressures of expectations, more his own than those of others. So his eyes are now turned to the future, when in Tuesday's tests Yamaha will field the V4 again, welcoming fresh SBK world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu into its ranks..
If you look back to your past, if we exclude the title what is the best memory you will have of the M1?
"I would say the pole at Jerez in 2019," Quartararo began, "I think I had more fun than in the season when I won the title. Because if you crashed it didn't matter, it was a learning year, if you finished in the top ten the next time you could do better. The result didn't matter, it was the season when the pressure was zero, so it was the year I had the most fun."
Is this because after the title you experienced more pressure?
"It's not just about the pressure, because in 2021 if I even finished fourth I wasn't satisfied, but not even just about the results. In the first year you have no expectations and you don't know what to expect from the first race, you were just there to give it your all. Finishing 2nd or 5th was great, if you were 10th you had something to learn, if you crashed it was experience, that's the difference."
Do you feel you have had enough influence over the years in the development of Yamaha?
"I've tried, obviously as a rider I have to give my feedback and I know what I need to go faster, but then I'm not the one who has to find more grip, power or aerodynamics on the bike. So my main feedback is to give my best on the track. I think I had a good influence although unfortunately we haven't found what we need yet, but I think my comments were right."
Did you follow the tests in Aragon with Toprak and Dovizioso?
"I didn't talk to them on a technical level, after all, there will be testing on Tuesday and the results of Aragon were not that important. With Toprak I spoke out of my own curiosity about his experience on this MotoGP, rather than the technical details of the bike, even though he had had a first approach in the past. I think it will be more important to see how things stand on Tuesday."
In recent weeks there have been some observers who have juxtaposed Acosta with Schwantz, but the same juxtaposition could also apply to you.
"I've never seen Schwantz race, only his results. Obviously he's a big name in the sport and it's nice to see my name juxtaposed with his. Personally I just try to give it my all, this year I learned that I will push the same way whether I am first, fifth or tenth. I think that has been my improvement this season."
According to Miller at the tests you should have one bike each.
"I hope it will be more than one, because one crash at turn 4 in the morning would ruin the tests."