Fabio Quartararo admits his Yamaha currently has “zero potential” despite finishing in the top five in both races at the German MotoGP round.
Quartararo finished fourth in the German GP after taking a podium in the wet Sprint race on Saturday to record his best overall weekend of the season so far.
However, the Frenchman suggested his position in the main race on Sunday was not representative, as he finished 10 seconds behind Francesco Bagnaia who took the final place on the podium.
“I am not happy because we are super slow,” Quartararo told TNT Sports.
“The feeling of the bike is not great. We finished more than 18 seconds from victory, which is not our goal, but we [also] finished 10 seconds from Pecco [Bagnaia].
“We are slow, and we have to understand why we are struggling that much in the races.”
Quartararo also admitted the lack of race pace makes him reluctant to accept pole position, as it gives a sense of false hope about the results.
The 26-year-old also revealed that grip remained a problem on the M1.
“It is good to make pole position because it helps for the race,” the Yamaha rider said.
“But I prefer not to start from this position because, in the end, we have zero potential in the races. The grip is super low.
“It gives you hope. But, in the end, you know that you aren’t going to be at the front.
“It is great to make pole position, there is happiness in the team. But we are happy for something knowing that we will really struggle to maintain the position.
“[It’s been a] tough first part of the season.”
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