Buoyant Fabio Quartararo details Yamaha’s crucial new aero

Fabio Quartararo has discussed the new aerodynamics that Yamaha used at the Catalunya MotoGP.

Quartararo finished ninth in Barcelona, the highest-placed Japanese-manufactured bike.

But more importantly he felt the benefit of an upgrade which he hopes will continually get better.

“It helps to turn, to go faster into the corners,” Quartararo said about Yamaha’s aero.

“It’s difficult to say if it’s a massive step or not.

“Because the aero is not something that you say ‘wow it is much better’.

“You have to get used to it.

“In the past, I tried the 2023 aerodynamics plus the 2024. It was half and half. In Mugello we tried the 2022, and it was a disaster.

“With aero, you have to get used to it.

“In the future it will be a good step.”

Quartararo insisted the true value of the new aerodynamics are felt “when you do more laps”.

He said: “I can understand where are the strong points. In five laps, you cannot understand.”

Quartararo and Yamaha were able to partake in a private test at Mugello earlier this month, ahead of this weekend’s Italian MotoGP.

They tested the aero without other bikes racing, another valuable step to understanding its competitiveness.

“It is better alone,” Quartararo said about testing his new parts.

“When you have drag, you cannot see clearly if it is better or not.

“But of course, you consider how it works with other people.

“To really see the benefit or not, it is better alone.”

The new concessions rules have given Yamaha and Honda additional test days, among many other perks.

It means they could try their new aero at Mugello on a private test day before racing this weekend.

“This is the benefit of having the concessions,” Quartararo said.

“After Mugello we go to Valencia for two days of testing.

“It is really busy, but worth it. Yamaha has never worked like this in the past, with this many ideas.

“We are not bringing things just to bring them.

“I clearly speak with the team: I don’t want to test another chassis or another swingarm. We have already tested hundreds of them.

“We know where the problem is coming. Now, they are focused on that. They are working in a clever way.”

Results on-track are certainly not yet spectacular for Quartararo or teammate Alex Rins.

But after signing a new contract to stay with the team long-term, he expects slow growth until Yamaha are on top of MotoGP again.

“When you make a small step you want a bigger one, as soon as possible,” he said.

“It’s been one-and-a-half years without progress. To see the light coming at the end of the tunnel is great.”

“I don’t care at all about who is winning!"

Quartararo said about his race in Barcelona: “There weren’t many crashes in front of me. It was a really good race considering how we are going.

“We finished less than five seconds from the top five. This is positive. The feeling was good.

“We are following the steps from Le Mans. The pace was good.

“I saw Bezzecchi and Oliveira fighting on the last lap.

“At Turn 1 I knew it was difficult to stop the bike.

“I said ‘they will go wide’.

“I braked super early to carry speed, and overtook them, and kept the position until the end.

“We were clever.”

The 2021 MotoGP champion was questioned about his prediction for this year’s title winner.

Jorge Martin currently leads Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia.

But he replied: “I don’t care at all about who is winning! We have many things to think about, in our context.

“Who will win? I don’t care!

“Pecco, when he crashes on Saturday, he wins on Sunday. He is strong in the long race and, for me, is the favourite.

“But all three are very fast.”