Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing rider, has shared his concerns following the latest race at the Japanese Grand Prix, revealing that issues with fuel conservation significantly compromised his performance. The Frenchman finished in twelfth place, the same as his starting position, a modest result compared to the expectations of his season.
Quartararo was the best Yamaha rider at the finish line, with his teammate, Alex Rins, finishing in 16th place. However, the 2021 world champion pointed out that he could have competed at a higher level had he not been focused on fuel during the race.
“It was difficult because since the seventh lap I had a fuel problem, so it wasn’t the best way to race. I could have gone much faster, but I inevitably had to control the throttle,” he stated. The rider specified that he was forced to stay at 70% throttle in several segments, including the longest straights of the circuit.
Regarding the possible causes of his high consumption, Quartararo did not speculate, ensuring that there was nothing strange in the bike’s behavior. “I don’t know if the team expected lower consumption, but I didn’t anticipate this difficulty, especially at the beginning when I was in the slipstream of another rider. Even with that, I had to reduce the throttle,” he explained.
Additionally, the rider acknowledged that Yamaha continues to struggle with a lack of top-end power, which has affected his overall performance. Yamaha riders filled the last positions during the race, a situation that has been common throughout the weekend.
“Yes, we lack power and, unfortunately, we have high consumption,” Quartararo admitted. He also expressed that the worry about whether he could finish the race or not is a common feeling. “It’s hard to know if I will finish, as there are lights of different colors indicating the fuel level, but I had the red light on since the beginning,” he concluded.
Despite the challenges, Quartararo continues to prove his worth, although this incident behind the Yamaha only increases his impatience to make the jump to Honda in 2027.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
