Fabio Quartararo has expressed his concern about the fuel consumption issues he faced during the Japanese Grand Prix held this Sunday. Attempting to drive a vehicle that consumes so much fuel is not what any driver would wish for, and according to the Frenchman, it is not an isolated situation.
The Yamaha rider finished the race in twelfth place, maintaining the same position where he started. This mark, although acceptable within what has been his season, left him with a bittersweet feeling. Quartararo was the best representative of the team, as his teammate, Alex Rins, crossed the finish line in 16th place.
The 2021 world champion explained that he could have performed better without the constant worry of running out of fuel. “It was difficult because from the seventh lap I started to have fuel problems, so it wasn’t the best way to compete,” he stated.
According to Quartararo, he had to keep his foot on the accelerator at 70% for most of the circuit, including the longest straights, which significantly limited his speed. “It’s not the ideal situation. I could have gone much faster, but I had to be very cautious with the accelerator,” he added.
When asked if he suspected a possible electronic failure as the cause of the excessive fuel consumption, Quartararo said he didn’t know if the team had miscalculated the expected fuel consumption for the race. “It wasn’t strange at all, but the truth is I didn’t think we would have this issue so soon,” he said.
Moreover, the rider stated that the obvious lack of power in his Yamaha robbed him of chances to overtake competitors. He and his teammates ended up in the last places in the standings. “We are lacking power and, unfortunately, that also leads to high consumption,” Quartararo acknowledged.
Although the result under adverse conditions is respectable, this incident only fuels the rider’s impatience to make his move to Honda in 2027.
written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_220e8dfb95a055cfe9fe971c0b0ebb4b260c2721