Fabio Quartararo: “Important to see our potential” | Alex Rins "biting my hands!"

This weekend’s Indonesian MotoGP should show if Fabio Quartararo’s season-best seventh place at Misano - fifth before fuel issues on the penultimate corner - was a flash in the pan or sign of real progress.

“I think it was a really great race, by far the best of the year,” Quartararo reflected on Thursday in Indonesia. “We didn't expect to be that fast during all the race.

“But unfortunately at the second-to-last corner we [had] no fuel, but I think we can be happy. We saw the front guy quite close to us."

Dropping from fifth to seventh wasn’t the end of the world for a rider who has 11 premier-class wins and 31 podiums.

“One corner earlier and we'd have pitted into the box,” Quartararo pointed out. “It’s not about the position, but the race that we made. Because finishing P5 or P7 is not something that really matters. What really matters is that we have made some steps. And for the future, I think it’s quite interesting.”

“The mentality has changed quite a lot,” he added. “We have been working since February in this way, but we never really found the direction. [Then] since the test before Misano 1 we have found something that can be great and the direction is quite ‘straight’ [clear] let's say. 

"We know what we have to improve... Now [we have to do it]. And of course, for us power is something that we really miss. For one lap it’s important, but especially in the race, I think that [more power] is even more important to fight.”

Quartararo is the only rider to have finished on the podium in both previous Mandalika races. His chances of three in a row could depend on how quickly grip rises on the dirty track surface.

“We really need a lot of grip, especially on the edge [of the tyre] because on the drive area, we are OK,” he said.

“I think the first step is to see how our bike is here because we were in Misano for nearly one month. 

"The potential [at Misano] was great but it’s quite important for us to see our potential at this track. Especially in FP1 when the track will be quite dirty.

“I think if we can qualify in the top ten in [Friday] practice, we will have a great potential for the race on Sunday."

Alex Rins: “I was eating, biting my hands!"

Team-mate Alex Rins will re-join Quartararo at Monster Yamaha this weekend, after missing Misano 2 due to sickness.

Rins admitted it had been hard to watch from the sidelines after making big steps with the latest engine during the Misano test.

“I was eating, biting my hands! Because compared to Misano 1 we received the ‘proper’ engine in the test, where the number of engines doesn’t count. They brought it back and I was a bit faster," said Rins, who previously spoke of improving his pace by 0.5-0.7s.

“I would have liked to see my level compared to Fabio because he was in really good shape in Misano. Let’s see how it goes here, as I’m missing some laps on the bike.”