‘Really tough to prepare overtake’ - Quartararo frustrated by same problems

In both the inaugural MotoGP Sprint and main Grand Prix, Quartararo demonstrated some of the best race pace with clean air in front of him.

However, whenever the Yamaha man caught up to other riders, overtaking immediately became a challenge.

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Quartararo was able to make his way past Luca Marini and Aleix Espargaro towards the end of the Grand Prix, but that was after being stuck behind both riders for several laps.

In the Sprint, Quartararo caught Alex Marquez but failed to make an overtake because of the difficulties getting close and preparing for a move.

Speaking ahead of the Argentine MotoGP, Quartararo said: "The pace was not too bad. But I started from the bad, so I didn’t have great first laps, it was tough to come back. To overtake? We must work out what to improve to have similar riding to the others.

"We have to improve. We have the same problems in the race and in time attack. We must make an improvement for qualifying because, especially with our bike, it’s a big part of the weekend.

"We have great potential to ride fast. But to fight? We struggle more. We are trying to work with Yamaha how, out of the corner, we can stay closer to them, to at least prepare an overtake. We have to overtake in areas that are really tough."

While a race win appears to be a long way away for Quartararo and Yamaha at the moment, that’s precisely what Mooney VR46 Ducati rider Marco Bezzecchi has his eyes set on.

Bezzecchi secured his first podium of the season in Portimao after finishing third, but the Italian, who remains in a learning stage at this point in his MotoGP career, wants to take top spot sooner rather than later.

"It was fantastic in Portugal for me," started Bezzecchi. "It was a good weekend overall even if, in the sprint, I made a mistake. I recovered on Sunday.

"I don’t want to expect from myself that, in every race, I will fight for the podium. I am still in a learning process which will end soon, but not yet.

"My first and only target, at the moment, is to fight for my first victory which is my biggest dream. I don’t want to put extra pressure on myself but it’s something I think we can achieve. 

"I don’t know when, but I hope soon. Working like we’re doing already is the key. We’ll try hard to be competitive."