Quartararo finally smiles but: “Struggling, many problems, difficult to accept”
The Yamaha rider finished on the podium for the first time this season in Texas but his woes were underlined when Luca Marini shot past him into P2.
Quartararo, the 2021 champion, could not compete with the Ducati’s speed and, after three rounds, sits 30 points behind leader Marco Bezzecchi.
“It is difficult to accept,” Quartararo said about being passed by Mooney VR46 rider Marini.
“Most of all, it is difficult to be calm on the straights when you see a rocketship coming to the side.
“But I was calm. This is a good thing.”
Perhaps the true extent of Quartararo’s worries this season is that not only does his Yamaha lag behind the Ducatis, as expected, but it is also trailing the Hondas and Aprilias.
After finishing third at COTA he described his season: “Really complicated. I’m happy for the team, it will bring a lot of motivation and self-confidence for myself.
“Hopefully we make a step forwards soon.
“It was a long, tough race. We know our problems - power, acceleration, wheelies. We have many problems.
“We know at this track, in Turns 11, 1 and 20, there are a lot of wheelies. We need to make a step in this area.”
There is hope that his Yamaha will find greater performance back on European soil, at the next round in Jerez from April 28 then at Quartararo’s home grand prix in Le Mans.
After a timely return to the podium, Quartararo will at least be fuelled with optimism heading into the next stage of the season.
“It is a big boost of confidence for myself, the team, the people around us.
“Positives? We are struggling but, to have at least a bit of happiness in the team, will be great.”
What are Quartararo’s concerns with his M1?
“It has to change,” he lamented after crashing out from sixth in Saturday’s sprint race, when his dreadful top speed left him reliant on extreme braking.
“I don't know how, but for four years I haven’t felt a big improvement on the bike.
“Now I start to have quite a lot of experience on the bike, but I don't see massive improvement.
“The thing we have to change is much bigger than having an exhaust or one small thing on the bike.
“For me it must be a big change and also making a big change can be difficult. But if we can guarantee an improvement, I think we have to do it.”
Yamaha’s main focus this winter was delivering an increase in power that Quartararo had begged for, as his championship slipped away on the final day of 2022.
His M1 uses an Inline4, rather than a V4, engine configuration, a key point of difference from the other bikes on the grid.
“I never rode a V4,” he said. “I always ride the Yamaha and I don't want to ask for something that I've never tried. But at the end, all the others are using this so...”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
