Petronas SRT Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo nonchalantly described his record-breaking MotoGP lap around the Sepang International Circuit as ‘an incredible lap’.
The 20-year-old continued his stunning rookie campaign and after topping the morning free practice one session, the Frenchman backed up his strong FP1 showing with a stunning display in the time-attack at the end of FP2.
A 1:59.057 in the morning was bettered in the afternoon by his stunning 1:58.576, which is only three tenths behind Danilo Petrucci’s unofficial set during a pro-season test.
“That was an incredible lap,” said the satellite man.
“I felt so good on the bike today as soon as I went out with the fresh tyre. I’ve basically secured Q2 but there is always room for improvement.”
The news broke earlier in the day that Quartararo and his Petronas SRT team-mate Franco Morbidelli would be on ‘A Spec’ Yamaha YZR-M1’s in 2020, meaning new machinery rather than having to make do on older bikes as per the usual satellite approach.
When asked about the news, Quartararo said: “I’m pleased about it, I’ve proved to be fast this year. I thank Yamaha and Petronas for allowing that.”
With a spot into Q2 all but confirmed with his stunning lap, the rookie said that he has some work to do around tyre life, but with the work done today, he has more time to find a solution ahead of the race.
“Good, the pace is good,” said Quartararo.
“I completed eighteen laps on a used soft tyre, and it went well. I need to work more on the tyres but we’ll have time for that tomorrow.”
