Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha’s ominous verdict that “grippy” Brno is “good for us”
Fabio Quartararo has “every reason to push” at Brno, as Yamaha looks to recent testing and a new track surface as a chance to close the gap to its MotoGP rivals.
Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha are the new high-grip Brno surface will help the M1 make an impact during MotoGP’s first visit to the Czech Republic since 2020.
Quartararo followed up a surprise third in the wet German Sprint with fourth in the dry grand prix, but a huge 18.7s deficit to race winner Marc Marquez (Ducati) meant he saw little reason to celebrate.
The question now is whether the new high-grip Brno surface will mask some of their current issues or exaggerate them.
"We got some good results and points last weekend, but we still have work to do,” said the 2021 MotoGP champion.
“This is the final GP before the summer break, and the first time we will be riding in front of the Czech fans since 2020, so we have every reason to push as hard as we can.
“I heard that the new asphalt is quite grippy, so hopefully this will help us get some good results again."
Quartararo finished seventh in his previous Brno MotoGP visits, as a Petronas Yamaha rider in 2019 and 2020.
Yamaha's Alex Rins: "I tested at Brno, feeling was fine"
For team-mate Alex Rins, the Czech round can’t come soon enough as he seeks to turn the page on a nightmare weekend in Germany, which culminated in a distant last place.
The Spaniard rode at the private Brno test alongside Pramac’s Miguel Oliveira and this weekend’s Yamaha wild-card Augusto Fernandez.
"We need to use the German GP data and this weekend to analyse and improve the performance of the bike, but it's not going to be easy to compare the two GPs,” said Rins, seeking answers for the disastrous Sachsenring weekend.
“The Brno track has a very different layout compared to the Sachsenring, and it has also recently been resurfaced, so it has a lot more grip.
“I tested in Brno a few weeks ago, and the feeling was fine, so I'm eager to start the weekend and see if we can make a step here."
Team manager Massimo Meregalli is confident the private test and grip level can elevate Yamaha’s form.
“Thanks to that private test, we start this weekend with a base set-up already in place,” he said.
“The Brno track has just been completely resurfaced. It’s very smooth and grippy – which is good for us.”
Quartararo starts the second half of the season tenth in the world championship, with Rins just 18th.
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