Fabio Quartararo explained that “grip problems” were the cause for a tough Thai MotoGP season opening race.
Yamaha had made some steps forward in the off-season to its M1, but Quartararo made no clear goals for the season opener.
The Frenchman had reasons to be optimistic for the Sunday race after finishing seventh in the first Sprint race of the season.
He finished in 15th place, the final point scoring place, after dropping to the back of the pecking order at the start of the race.
“From the beginning we had grip problems,” Quatararo began to GPOne.
“I thought it was related to the tyre temperature, but even after three laps the situation did not improve.
“I couldn’t lean the bike and kept sliding, so I lost a lot of positions. Unfortunately, I was not able to have a good race and keep a good pace. It was tough.”
The 2021 champion revealed that his tyre choice setup played a part in proceedings, explaining that neither compound helped him.
“I had opted for the hard-soft combination, but the hard made me suffer a lot and the softs did not help us even in the first few laps,” he said.
Fabio Quartararo’s left leg was ‘burning’ due to weather temperatures
Quartararo revealed that his lack of grip wasn’t the only issue that troubled his season opener.
The temperature in Buriram itself was a cause of concern for the 2021 MotoGP champion, as temperatures neared 40 degrees Celsius.
The lasting effects saw Quartararo have a “burning” feeling on his left leg, leading him to suggest a shorter race for riders.
“At the finish line my left leg was burning. There were extreme conditions. You don’t often encounter such heat, maybe a few less laps would have made the show worse, but for us riders they were the limit.
“I honestly don’t know if we will be back here in 2026 at this time of year. In testing it was 4-5 degrees cooler and it was better.”
“I personally would have agreed to run a few fewer laps,” he admitted if there were any proposals.
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