Fabio Quartararo: ‘Nothing big’ coming from Yamaha for Jerez test

Quartararo returned to podium ways in Austin last time out, however, the same issues of overtaking and lacking the out-right speed of Ducati remained. 

Jerez should present Quartararo with one of his best opportunities of claiming what would now be considered a rare MotoGP victory, given his outstanding qualifying record at the Spanish circuit, and his two wins in 2020. 

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But for that to happen Quartararo will likely need to beat Ducati riders in a direct fight, something he hasn’t done since Sachsenring last season.

Speaking about the Jerez track and where he sees opportunities to make passes, Quartararo said: "Everywhere! Everywhere I can. It’s difficult because in 2021, the corner speed we had was better compared to other manufacturers. We were better in corner speed but last year we were not. 

"Last year was really similar and I was behind Pecco but the pressures went so high, I could not stay close to him and I could not overtake. 

"I think the last corner is a great place to overtake. Last year I overtook nobody in the race. Hopefully we can turn it around for this race."

Despite making zero overtakes last season, Quartararo was within a second of the win which was largely down to his qualifying and great start.

But like wins, front row starts have also dried up in recent times which would be a worry should that materialise again at Jerez, given the fact it’s a very tight and narrow track. 

While the races are the immediate concern, Monday sees the first in-season test of the 2023 calendar, which is an opportunity for Yamaha to make improvements.

However, Quartararo is not expecting big steps to be made after being told ‘nothing big’ is coming his way: "What I’ve heard is nothing big. Of the problem [we’re having] we cannot touch it for this year. 

"We will have some items but nothing crazy. To be honest I don’t know. I reported after all three races clearly where the problem is, where we can improve considering we cannot touch the engine. 

"It’s up to them to find a solution and to find something in this area at tracks like Austin. There’s many things, it's not just acceleration. 

"We cannot use the power because we having issues with wheelie for so long. We have to fix it. But if we put more wings on the straight; we are already not that fast."