Quartararo wary of making "stupid mistake" in wet Assen MotoGP FP2
MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo says he was “too careful” the wet part of FP2 for the Dutch Grand Prix because he was wary of making a “stupid mistake”.
The Yamaha rider leads the standings by 22 points ahead of a race weekend where he is expected to be strong, after claiming pole in his rookie campaign in 2019 on the M1 and team-mate Maverick Vinales winning the previous Dutch TT.
Vinales led both sessions on Friday at Assen, with Quartararo fourth on the combined times – 0.419 seconds off the best pace.
FP2 was hit by rain in the second half of the session, with Quartararo electing to put in some wet running but admits he didn’t push, having been keen to avoid an error that could have damaging repercussions to his title hopes.
“Was quite a positive day, but in FP1 unfortunately for the quantity of the tyres we needed to use the soft front and it’s a tyre that I usually don’t really like,” Quartararo said.
“So this morning we used only soft in the front.
“The medium rear was OK, but I was not able to push the front, but I was quite happy.
“And in this afternoon I’ve been with medium, hard and was raining a little bit, my confidence with the hard was not that good and then with the wet I was too careful.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“The feeling was not too bad but I was way too careful and we know that for tomorrow we need to make a step.
“I mean, [I took] just one lap to take the feeling but when I start to see everyone pushing hard I just wanted to stay careful and I was a little bit too careful.
“But the feeling was not bad, was great, so tomorrow we will need to push a different way to go faster.
“But it was great to take some information on the track and not to put ourselves on the limit.”
When asked by Autosport what he meant when he said he had to push in a different way, he added: “Just with myself more on the limit.
“I’m in a situation right now that I don’t want to make a stupid mistake on a crash in the wet in FP2.
“So, when the time arrives to push more, I will push more.
“But I think that today was not the moment to make a mistake and maybe crash or [suffer] an injury or something. So, was the moment to stay quiet.”
Previous article
Assen MotoGP: Vinales tops rain-hit FP2, Marquez suffers huge crash
Next article
Marquez feels “lucky to escape” monster Assen MotoGP crash unharmed
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
Marc Márquez's first ride after his injury
Marc Marquez continues his recovery
Why MotoGP will miss its gentle giant
Danilo Petrucci’s days in MotoGP appear numbered, as KTM looks to completely reshuffle the Tech3 team for 2022. Though the Italian's 2021 season so far hasn’t been standout, the giant Italian covertly became a top runner in MotoGP across the last decade and brought with him a personality that world sport sorely needs more of
Why Mir's MotoGP title defence can’t be written off yet
Joan Mir’s defence of his MotoGP title has had an underwhelming start as Suzuki didn’t progress its championship-winning GSX-RR as much as its rivals did with their bikes over the winter. Speaking to Autosport, Mir lays out why his title defence has been stalled so far and why he’s confident title number two is still within reach
The Rossi replacement who’s become the MotoGP leader Yamaha needed
It's been six years since Jorge Lorenzo gave Yamaha its last MotoGP title in 2015. Since his departure at the end of 2016, Yamaha's form has been inconsistent but it has at last found a new talisman to return it to the top spot in the form of a precociously talented Frenchman who currently leads the standings
Why the Vinales/Yamaha MotoGP divorce satisfies both parties
On Monday Yamaha announced it will part ways with Maverick Vinales at the end of the 2021 season - a move requested by the rider. As the already strained relationship between both parties in MotoGP hit rock bottom in recent weeks, this divorce - as ORIOL PUIGDEMONT writes - is good for both Yamaha and Vinales for a number of reasons
The unexpected Rossi/Ducati MotoGP sequel offering redemption
A decade after first linking up with Ducati in what turned out to be an ill-fated period in his MotoGP career, Valentino Rossi has joined forces with the Italian marque once more - this time as a team owner. And the VR46/Ducati tie-up beginning in 2022 has the potential to right the wrongs of Rossi and Ducati's nadir of 2011/2012
Why Yamaha is about to risk losing Valentino Rossi
With Valentino Rossi’s next career move imminent in MotoGP, it is set to have wide-reaching influences on a number of riders and teams on the grid. But one of the biggest impacts will be felt at Yamaha, with its pivotal role in the saga set to see it lose its appointment with ‘The Doctor’
How Marquez beat his Honda in his heroic MotoGP comeback win
Marc Marquez has been through hell and back in the 581 days between his win in the 2019 Valencia season finale and his heroic MotoGP comeback victory in Germany last Sunday. Despite battling physical limitations and a difficult 2021-spec Honda, the Sachsenring provided the perfect storm for the Spaniard to return to the top step
Why Quartararo’s Catalunya suit penalty highlights a wider issue in MotoGP
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo racing with his leather suit open and subsequent penalty has been the main talking point of the Catalunya MotoGP weekend, which has highlighted a wider issue with MotoGP’s stewarding that risks a negative precedent going forward
