Quartararo: “We have used zero new things, it’s frustrating”

Yet to fight for a MotoGP win so far in 2023, Quartararo is hopeful that using the same bike for three consecutive races will not only allow him to do just that, but also gain some confidence after a turbulent start to the campaign.

Yamaha’s issues have again been borught to light in a big way due to the performance of Ducati, Aprilia and KTM, who have taken a huge step forward this season.

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But Quartararo has still been fast when it comes to race pace in particular, which means qualifying is by far the main priority for the French rider. 

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Mugello Grand Prix, Quartararo said the lack of improvements from Yamaha has been frustrating but that having the same package for Mugello, Sachsenring and Assen could be beneficial.

"In the first moment it’s frustrating because in pre-season we tried an amount of things that I never tried before," said the 2021 world champion. "Chassis, engine and more aerodynamics, but the fact we use zero of those things is frustrating. 

"Jerez test… we had new things and we used nothing. Of course it’s frustrating but we need to focus on what we have now. 

"Having these next three races and having the same bike will be good for my confidence. 

"For the first five races we were always trying to figure out which was the best version of the bike. Everything was possible but in the end we figured out that everything was not working [so well]. 

"In Jerez, my crew wanted to go with the previous setting from the last few years, but the engineers wanted to try a little bit more and in Le Mans we said ‘okay, we’ll go back to what we know’. 

"We had a meeting and I want to have this bike for the next three races. Then we have a six week break and we will have time to really think about it."

While those with exceptional top speed will be contenders at Mugello, Quartararo believes the fast corners could play into Yamaha’s favour.

Especially when it comes to the final corner which is a left-hander that will allow riders to build up speed and not rely solely on the acceleration.  

"When we start from slow corners it’s something that is a weak point for us from aerodynamics and power in low gears," added Quartararo. 

"But coming from a fast corner the disadvantage of power is much less. I think we will be much better in the straight than in Le Mans or Austin. 

"This is something that will be less problematic than in the past."