MotoGP | Valencia Test Day 1: Quartararo, “I'm impressed by the power”

MotoGP Valencia Test Day 1 SIC Petronas – On the first day of IRTA testing in Valencia, in addition to the debut of the newly formed Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team, Fabio Quartararo also took to the track for the first time in MotoGP.

The French rider, after a year in Moto2, will be riding the 1 version of the Yamaha M2018 from next season, which officially began with the Valencia tests. The 19-year-old closed the first day with the 23rd time, stopping the clock on 1:33′.850. Unfortunately, the difficult weather conditions, with the wet track in the morning and the rain that fell in the afternoon, prevented the #20 from being on the track for long, but the first approach is positive.

These are the words of Fabio Quartararo: “The first day of testing went really well. It was a shame not to have done more laps due to the conditions, which weren't the best, but I'm happy because every time I went out on the track I improved. So far we are quite strong when going through and exiting corners but I am losing time when braking. The team encourages me to believe in the brakes because at the beginning you think you can't stop but in the end you can and I had fun. The most impressive thing about my first outing with the Yamaha was the power, particularly on the first straight and also the brakes. We hope to have good conditions tomorrow because we want to work on braking and improve the feeling."