Fabio Quartararo: Assen “one of my favourite tracks”, hoping for automatic Q2

After completing 101 laps in Yamaha’s private MotoGP test in Valencia, Fabio Quartararo is hoping to take a step forward at Assen.

Winner at the Dutch round in his title winning season (2021), Quartararo has a good record at Assen as he claimed a sprint race podium last season.

Yamaha have struggled when battling in the mid-field, therefore qualifying holds a lot of importance for the likes of Quartararo and team-mate Alex Rins.

Key to their weekend, Q2 is the aim for Quartararo who is hoping to gain automatic entry during Friday’s Practice session.

Assen is one of my favourite tracks,” said Quartararo. “Hopefully we can be in Q2 straight from the Friday.

“The private test during the break between the Dutch GP and the Italian GP was positive, so we hope we can fight for better positions.”

Without a contract for 2025 as it stands, Rins is hoping to stay with Yamaha after joining the Japanese brand at the end of 2023.

The former Suzuki rider has been particularly strong when it comes to securing Q2 spots in recent rounds.

However, the Spaniard has been unable to turn decent qualifying positions into big results.

Speaking ahead of this weekend, Rins said: “After a quite busy three weeks 'off', I'm really excited to start work in Assen.

“It is a really good circuit for me. I'm looking forward to being there, and enjoying the track, which is pretty iconic.”