Qatar MotoGP winner Fabio Quartararo thinks that this weekend's Portimao round will reveal how good the 2021 Yamaha M1 is as it was a disaster for the works team in 2020.
Of the three 2020 M1s that took part, the best finisher was Maverick Vinales in 11th but Franco Morbdelli - on the 2019 bike - stuck it on the podium.
"We will see in two weeks at Portimao, which was one of the most difficult tracks for us. Apart from Franco, who has the ’19 spec and finished in third place, we finished 11th, 12th, 14th," said Quartararo, talking about last season. "That will be a moment where we will see the potential of our bike.
"At the moment, overtaking is much better than last year because I feel the limit and know where is the limit. I felt so good in overtakes. I could brake so hard and keep the brake on the edge of the bike.
"Last year I won the first two races in Jerez, the second one with 8 seconds of advantage at one stage of the race. So, step by step. We've raced twice in the same track [Qatar] so I feel confident with the bike. I feel like we can be fast [everywhere], but I don't want to tell you yes and then is no.
"So this is a moment where I believe in our bike, but I can’t say if it’s going to work."
