Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo produced a magnificent performance to finish sixth in MotoGP’s Grand Prix of the Americas sprint race.
The Frenchman has struggled this year and has been the least impressive of all four Yamaha riders after two events.
However, after a lightning start on Saturday from 11th on the grid, Quartararo found himself pushing towards the sharp end of the field.
Perhaps it’s time the Japanese manufacturer proved that their MotoGP pre-season promise was at least a little bit real.
Quartararo expected ‘much better’ from Yamaha this winter after heavy investment in developing their bike.
Sadly, it hasn’t worked out for them too well so far, but there are still 20 races left to go. Quartararo’s ‘overly aggressive’ Yamaha approach has changed and it should benefit his team in the long term.
Fabio Quartararo shares Yamaha areas of ‘concern’ at the Grand Prix of Americas
The development of Yamaha’s bike over the next two years should be far more accelerated than their rivals due to the concession system. They are exempt from the engine freeze and can upgrade freely.
However, there appear to be many other areas that still need to be addressed. Quartararo shared his thoughts after the sprint race.
“We need to improve the response of the rear, although the brakes are not the only concern,” he told GPOne.
“We lack balance and this also causes us difficulties in acceleration and in the middle of the corners, also in changes of direction the bike slides a lot.
“We are currently looking for more grip and less shaking because we have a lot of it, especially in straight-bike braking.”
READ MORE: Yamaha chief shares the main reason why they ‘suddenly’ fell behind their MotoGP rivals
Why Fabio Quartararo was left in ‘disbelief’ at Yamaha during MotoGP testing
The first test of pre-season saw the riders take to Malaysia’s Sepang circuit for a three-day test before flying over to Buriram.
Out of nowhere, Quartararo managed to finish inside the top three of the times during all three days and showed a glimpse of some very promising pace.
When the team arrived in Thailand for the following two-day test, at the same place where the season opener would be held, they lost ground.
Quartararo was left in ‘disbelief’ by Yamaha’s Sepang performance and his COTA showing is the first indication that they have some serious pace to unlock at some circuits.
It would be seriously impressive if he could replicate his sprint result in the main race, but he would have to conserve his tyres far better than he has done at all this season for that.
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