MotoGP Austria: Fabio Quartararo: “My head was furious, it hurts” but Yamaha comments were “too aggressive”

“I was a little bit aggressive, maybe too much, with what I said,” com🔯mented the Frenchman at the Rꩵed Bull Ring on Thursday.
The 2021 world champion, who also fought Francesco Bagnaia for last year’s title until the final round, arrives in Austria just eleve🙈nth in the current standings with one Sunday podium.
“The first part of the season, I was thinking a little bit too much about the position I wanted. Always trying to reach the win, the podium, the top five. And I was never happy with not reaching my goal,” Quartararo reflect🐼ed.
But resetting his expectation🧜s, which Marc Marquez also has to do at Hondꦇa, has not been easy.
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“It's difficult because I came from fighting for the championship the 💮last two years and now fighting for top 10s,” Quartararo admitted.
“The first ten races, my head was furious, because I know my potential. I know what I can do. But we have some difficulties a🎃nd to realise now that 'OK, we have to forget about this [top] positions', it hurts.
“But I think that right now we have to take the experience. We have to give our 100% whatever the position is. And I think that Silverstone was already a small step forward, but I want to totally change my approach durinꦬg the next ten races.
“Beca🍰use I think that giving our 100% is the most important, myself and the team, and [whatever] position that will come. If I feel we give our best, I will be happy with that.”
Quartararo described the change of approach as similar to his debut MotoGP se🌸ason, at Petronas SRT, in 2019.
“I want to take it like if it was my first year in MotoGP. Giving my 100%, the team give their 100% and we ▨will set the goals in terms of how was our pace and qualifying. And then we will be happy if we give 💙our 100%,” he explained.
"Then for the future, my goal is to be back with Ya𝓰maha like two years ago, fighting for victories and podiums. I want that.
ꦯ"Of course, the💦 Misano test will be super important, but then it will be 5 months also from September until February [Sepang test].
Quartararo: Being back on top with Yamaha 'the best dream right now'
“My personal goal is to be world champion again ❀and, of course, if it's with Yamaha I would prefer, because coming from a tough year, it would be great to bo꧒unce back.
“But if not I will have to find myself another solution. But like I said, I think working with Yamaha super hard and being back [on top] with them would be the b♏est drea✅m right now.”
In𓄧 terms of what he needs from the 2024 bik🐼e, and why the Yamaha is sometimes slower than last season, the 24-year-old pinpointed grip and engine performance.
"We are strugg🌟ling so much when the grip is a little bit lower," he said.
"Because first of all, we need ﷽some drive to take the best acceleration possible, but then also for our power [output] if we exit slower we will arrive slower to the next🌸 corner.
"So the grip for us is important in two ways; in how we make the lap time, but also in terms of acceleration and top speed wher🌜e we are a little bit more weak. So it's both things that are dif🐓ficult."
Quartararo a🔯lso needs a bike he can race head-to-head against the V4s with.
"I think in all the races I've won, I nevღer won a battle in the last lap. I win by 1-2-3 or 5 seconds. So we have to have a bike also thinking sometimes your pace can be a little bit slower, but you have more ❀chances to overtake," he said.
"At the end🍎, you can make pole position, or be&꧙nbsp;fast in every single session, but when they give out points is in the race. So we have to make a bike fast also for the race."
Quartararo also brushed o▨ff a question ab𝓡out being a potential target for Honda in 2025.
“It's stiꦉll long until ’25. I didn't talk. We have a lot of work to do before having a talk wit꧃h anyone,” he said.

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi c🗹ome and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc M🅷arquez’s injury issues.