Quartararo: For me, I think that the layout is much better

Winner of three MotoGP races so far in 2021, Fabio Quartararo finished day-one in Catalunya third fastest behind former team-mate Franco Morbidelli. 

Quartararo was regularly inside the top five during both free practice sessions as he looks to claim a third career win around the Barcelona circuit. 

One of the challenges facing the factory Yamaha rider is the new turn ten which caught out several riders throughout the day. 

When asked about the new layout introduced this year, Quartararo said: "For me, I think that the layout is much better, but there is a change of tarmac, and the grip is really bad. 

"I have no feeling from the front, a lot of movement. I hope the grip will increase. But the layout is much better and it looks like more the old Catalunya style."

While the new turn ten provided it’s fair share of challenges, it did little to dampen the spirits of the championship leader overall.

"Really good day, the pace was great. So happy! We saw riders using the hard tyre and I think it's a great option for us, we saw in Portimão that it's really good," added the 22 year-old.  

"So yeah, I think that we still have a little bit of margin. We check already that there are two corners where I lose quite a lot. 

"I think that working a little bit on my riding style and electronics we will improve. So it’s great for the pace and also for the time attack."

Mugello caused a lot of issues regarding track limits as Joe Roberts lost a podium in Moto2, and while MotoGP riders Miguel Oliveira and Joan Mir kept their podiums, both men encountered track limits problems of their own.

Quartararo believes Catalunya is a difficult venue for imposing track limits, saying: "This track for track limits is really difficult to do. And if you do track limits at this track, it's more outside the track. 

"Like in Mugello it's at the end of the kerb, it's better to put white paint and there's no track limits. But what happened at Mugello I think is a shame. 

"At the end, they both kept the same position [Oliveira and Mir] but what happened to Joe [Roberts] that he lost the podium was not so great. 

"Because for me he deserved that podium, and it's not that you go out of the track by 3 millimetre or 3 centimetres that you have to pay. If you go outside of the kerb I think it is correct to be penalized for 1 position, but when it's at the end, I think it's not necessary to do it."