Quartararo: Zero feeling on the fast corners, it's tough

MotoGP title leader Fabio Quartararo struggles to 18th in wet conditions at Misano, seventh in the dry.
Fabio Quartararo, San Marino MotoGP, 17 September 2021
Fabio Quartararo, San Marino MotoGP, 17 September 2021
© Gold and Goose

From the results of Friday practice, there is no doubt which track conditions world championship leader Fabio Quartararo would prefer for the remainder of the Misano weekend.

The Monster Yamaha star, whose title lead was trimmed to 53-points after struggling with tyre temperature at Aragon last Sunday, was a close seventh (+0.358s) on dry tyres in FP1 but only 18th (+2.108s) in the all-wet afternoon outing.

To make matters worse, closest title challenger Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) was faster in both the dry and wet, finishing 3-2 respectively. Rain remains a threat for the rest of the weekend.

"We tried a totally different setting this afternoon," Quartararo said of his wet woes. "It was a little bit better, and it's a shame I missed my last lap, because I improved my lap time but I didn't even make one of my fastest sectors.

"But still I'm not feeling comfortable on the bike. I feel we made a small step with the front because my feeling is better, but I have zero feeling on the fast corners. So it's tough. It's tough. Let's see what we can do, but at the moment we are struggling quite a lot."

However, it's not as bad as 18th place looks.

"We are still two seconds from the top, but for me, our position is not real now. For me our position right now is in top 12, I would say. But still, in 2019 I made all my practices in the wet in the top 10, and it's something I can't understand why I can't have this feeling back again.

"Let's see what we can improve for the next session in the wet."

Top of the Frenchman's list will be increased stability from the rear of the bike in the fast turns.

"In the fast corners you feel it much more. That's the main problem, in the wet everything is so sensitive, and in the fast corners, I can tell you, having no rear stability doesn't give you so much confidence."

In terms of a dry set-up, the wet weather meant Quartararo didn't get the chance to progress to the medium front slick.

"In FP1, you need to start the weekend with the soft front tyre, but it's a tyre that I don't really like because it's too soft. Our plan was to go with the medium front this afternoon, but with the rain it was not possible.

"In some places like Turn 11, I had some struggles with the soft front and with the bumps to go really fast."

Quartararo certainly wasn't the only Yamaha to struggle for rear grip in the wet, with new team-mate Franco Morbidelli the best of the M1s in 13th, Valentino Rossi 16th and Andrea Dovizioso 21st.

"What I feel is that we don’t have a very good rear grip, so we lose very much, especially in acceleration," said Rossi. "This for me is the bigger problem of the bike."

But while Quartararo battled for wet weather pace in FP2, countryman Johann Zarco – his nearest championship rival earlier in the season - made a return to the top of the timesheets.

"A good day," said Zarco, who is considering arm pump surgery after struggling at recent events. "This morning I started well (11th,+0.477s), it was important to get the training with the Panigale here after Silverstone because it's a very technical track and immediately I got good references. Everyone was super close but I was happy to be also in the game.

"I had a bit of [arm pump] pain in the arm in the dry, it's logical, because it's a small track where there are more right turns.

"In the afternoon rain it was great also because I got much better feeling than in Spielberg, the last time in the rain. It was good to have a good feeling and always be in the top positions.

"In these conditions the arm is not suffering at all. Because you are not doing the same effort on the bike. So that's why.

"It's good to lead a practice again because it reminded you also why you are here and that's quite important. So I got a good day and I'm happy."

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