Petronas Yamaha SRT’s MotoGP rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo has admitted that he struggled through a first day with the Frenchman calling the Red Bull Ring a ‘difficult track’, despite ending the day fifth fastest.
A quiet weekend in the changeable conditions at Brno last weekend, the Frenchman came to Austria hoping to kick-start the second half of his season. Despite not feeling great, the Yamaha man ended the opening day fifth fastest, just over a quarter of a second off of Marc Marquez’ fastest time of the day.
“It’s been a really tough, but we expected that this would be difficult track for us,” said the 20-year-old.
“I’ve been trying to push hard and to be on the limit, and I’m feeling good on the bike.”
Whilst not the most technical of tracks on the MotoGP calendar, the Red Bull Ring poses unique challenges with its long straights and heavy braking. The Frenchman cited the first half of the lap for his M1, rather than the much more flowing second half of the lap.
“We’re struggling a little bit in the first two sectors and will need to work hard on that, but I’m really looking forward to seeing what will be possible tomorrow,” he said.
“This track is mainly three straights but that means there’s three big braking points as well, and we’re working to get the best out of the bike at those points and on cornering.”
