MotoGP, Quartararo: “I was unable to manage the pressure”

Fabio Quartararo, now a factory Yamaha rider in place of Valentino Rossi, had the honour of appearing on TMC show Quotidien, presented by Yann Barthès, and bringing the world championship to the attention of a wider audience in the process.

“El Diablo”, also known as “le petite prodige”, had the chance to tell his story, from his earliest riding experience at four years of age to his success in the Spanish championship. He also spoke of his dad’s valuable advice, which allowed him to compete in motorcycle racing from an early age.

“My next tattoo? For the title”

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Quartararo spoke about the importance of his first MotoGP win, earned on 19 July 2020 at Jerez, a memory that he has made indelible with a tattoo on his arm.

The Frenchman also offers something of an exclusive: “My next tattoo? I’ll do it when I get my title! Hopefully at the end of the year”, he said.

A week after his win, Quartararo said he even received congratulations from Kylian Mbappé, striker for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team.

“At the time I had a leg injury. It was nice to exchange some messages with him after the race”, he commented. “The two disciplines are very different, but I like sport in general and football in particular", admitted ‘El Diablo’.

“I wanted to do too much”

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The Frenchman also spoke of his disappointment towards the end of 2020, which he tries to use constructively.

“My first year was perfect. I finished as the top rookie with six podiums and seven pole positions. But then we had problems in 2020 and I was unable to deal with the pressure, I wanted to do too much”, he explained. “Unfortunately things didn’t go the right way and the title slipped away. Aside from that, I’m not frustrated. On the contrary, I’ve gained a lot of experience!”

As to how he felt after contracting Covid-19 in December, Quartararo said that “It’s just a bad memory. I spent ten days in bed, but it took more than a month to get back to 100% fitness. When I returned to sport, I felt like I had to start from scratch. I’m ready for the 2021 season though”, he concluded.

And we’ll soon see him back on track, over the weekend of 6-7 March in fact, when testing finally gets underway in Qatar.

Translated by Heather Watson

MotoGP, Quartararo looks back: “15 years of work to get here”