2020 MotoGP Round One Jerez
Rider Quotes
Fabio Quartararo – P1
“It feels incredible. I don’t think the feeling has sunk in yet, I think that will come when I watch the race again. It’s a shame that my family, friends and fans are not here to see it, but it feels so good to finally be on the stop step of the podium. It was an amazing race and we were so consistent even though the track was really bad. There was very little grip and the tyres just dropped off so fast. I felt great on the bike so thank you to my team, partners and to Yamaha for that. I had one of the scariest moments of the race in the same place where I had the problem last year, I was worried it was going to happen again! All was good, but the last ten laps felt like they took so long to complete. Every lap we got closer to the end I was feeling better and better, just having some fun. This win is for my family, my brother especially, my best friend, my manager, all the fans who can’t be here, my team and also to those people that have suffered a lot during the last 4 months. I also want to wish a speedy recovery to Alex , Cal and Marc .”
Maverick Vinales – P2
“I‘m so happy about the start and the first laps, because I was right there at the front. I took the lead and tried to escape. I wish it was already next Friday, I want to work on the next step at this track. When I lost the front for the first time, I started to travel, especially on the edge of the tyre. I couldn‘t turn the bike. So that‘s the point that we need to improve on. Maybe the soft front tyre wasn‘t the best decision, but we brought the bike home in second place, which is the most important thing. We got 20 points for the championship, and now we have a second race here in Jerez, where I think we‘ll have good potential. If we do a good job, we can be back fighting at the front again. The guys did an amazing job all weekend. It was very important to be on the podium at this race, but for the next race we need to find a bit more. We will take our performance from this week as a point of reference and try to improve ourselves, as always. I hope Marc is doing well, because it was a nasty crash. I hope we can fight again at the next race. I want to say ’Congratulations‘ to Fabio, because it‘s not easy to win your first MotoGP race, but he controlled it well.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P3
“This podium is like a victory for me. It was a challenging race, and I didn’t think I could get this result, but luckily I didn’t give up until the end and managed not to make any mistakes. In this morning’s Warm-Up, the team did a great job, as they improved my feeling with the Desmosedici GP, giving me the chance to be constant today in the race. Unfortunately, I still didn’t feel completely comfortable on the bike and, above all, I lacked speed. Surely, thanks to the feedback of this race, we will be able to be more competitive in the next GP, which will be held again here in Jerez”.
Jack Miller – P4
“Was really good race for me in general, if you look compared from last year here in Jerez. The most important thing was finished today, the bike was great, the feeling was good. We manage the tyres very well, and now we know what we have to do to improve. We will take the 4th position and we will come back next week with a clear picture in mind.”
Franco Morbidelli – P5
“It was a really good race. Starting from where I was, I was aiming for a top-five finish but surprisingly we were in the fight for the podium in the last two laps. I didn’t act in the right way in those two laps, I could have been a bit cleverer, but despite this it was a positive race. We came from behind and had some good battles, even though it was a tricky race. Now I will rest a bit and try to prepare for the next race. Our weak point this weekend was qualifying. Having the speed that we did it was not acceptable to start tenth, then ninth, then eighth. With such a narrow circuit it is not great to start from the third row. The front two rows are where you need to be to fight for the podium, so this will be our aim next weekend. Also congratulations to Fabio. I’m really happy for him as he deserves this victory and he was unbelievably fast today. First and fifth position for the team shows the great job that every member of the team is doing. We are heading in the right direction!”
Pol Espargaro – P6
“It’s been a very good day and I’m happy with the result but you always want more! We were just one second from the podium: very close. I needed to be closer to the guys in front to pass but the front tire temperature was growing like crazy-fast in a few corners. We normal struggle at Jerez so to take this result and in these temperatures is very good. We are happy and now we are convinced we can get push for better in the short-term. All four KTMs on the grid are powerful and strong, especially on the race pace. We are in the game now.”
Pecco Bagnaia – P7
“I’m quite happy. During the first laps when I was in the head group I tried to manage the tires because we knew that the race would be long. I’m satisfied for the great work done with my team this weekend and also for the big step in front that I made. I was in top5 for 15 laps and last year I never ride a race like this. Next weekend we will have an advantage because we already know the tires for the race and I can focus and improve the rest. I can say that I learned a lot from today.”
Miguel Oliveira – P8
“It was a very, very happy ending to the weekend. After struggling a little bit in the practices, I think we deserved this good result. To start the season with a top ten is better than we expected. For sure, we still have a lot of work to do for the next race but I’m glad for my performance and I am really, really happy to give this result to the team. It’s also my first race after Motegi in October last year. I’m just happy and hope we can improve next weekend.”
Danilo Petrucci – P9
“It was a tough race for me. In addition to the neck pain, I am suffering some stomach issues probably due to the painkillers I’ve been taking these days, and today I wasn’t in the condition to do more. In the race, I tried to hold on and managed to finish into the top ten. Hopefully, I can recover and be 100% fit for next week. I am confident to have the potential to stay with the other Ducati bikes and fight for the top five positions”.
Takaaki Nakagami – P10
“We finished the first race, and that’s good but honestly, I am not particularly happy specially for the LCR Honda Idemitsu Team because this weekend they did such a great job to help me ride in a positive way. Unfortunately, I had issues with the front from the beginning of the race. As there were lots of crashes around me during the race, I tried to stay focused so as not to lose the front and, in the end, I finished tenth. The positive thing is that we race again next weekend at the same circuit and hopefully then we will be able to fight again and show our true potential.”
Johann Zarco – P11
“I’m happy to finish the race and it was very important because it’s a long time since I did not finish a race, almost ten months, and this means that step by step I can comeback I can comeback to the high level. I understood many things during the race and many things that I can ask to Ducati to find a better feeling and better pace during the race. I expected to be faster, but it was too difficult to go to 38s and I was every lap doing 39s and this did not help me to catch the guys in front. I’m happy to be here again next week, it would be useful to improve myself and to have a clear target and to see if I can make well my work and work well with the team.”
Alex Marquez – P12
“First of all I’d like to wish Marc, Cal and Rins a speedy recovery. It is never good to see other riders get injured. Otherwise, it was a pretty good first race, I think we have a good base to now work from. Today was also a really good test physically because in this heat it was quite tough. It was a tricky race for everyone in the heat. I was fast during the middle of the race but I need to focus on the first five laps and the last four laps. But this is part of being a rookie, learning these sorts of things. Fortunately, we have next week to try it again.”
Brad Binder – P13
“In general, it is not too bad. I’m super-happy with the way the bike is. I need to say sorry to my team because today we could have done a good job and taken a good result but at the end of the day we live and we learn. I made a mistake and I won’t do it again. I knew I could be there in that group with the guys, I didn’t know I would be able to sit there quite comfortably. That was a bit of a shock for sure. I’m really happy that my training in the off-season worked because this is a whole new ball game. I must be happy. The whole package is working so well so I must say thanks to KTM for all their work and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in the next races. Let’s keep our heads up and keep this work ethic going.”
Tito Rabat – P14
“During the first laps of the race we had a lot of fun. After the start we followed the race group, then Smith was lagging behind and I got off the group. From here I tried to shoot despite having problems with the front axle, it was really difficult to go faster. It was a long race, I have been cutting back a little bit lap by lap the group of Zarco that was my first objective, although we could not achieve it. Looking ahead to next weekend we will work to improve the feeling with the front end”
Bradley Smith – P15
“The goal today was to do all 25 laps of the race in order to gather fundamental data on the reactions of this new bike. I started very well, but staying in the slipstream of a lot of other riders straight away created quite a few problems for me. The tyre temperature and pressure was off the charts and I didn’t have much grip at all. This will have to be our main focus for our work next weekend. We don’t have any experience with this bike, but every time we go out, we learn something new and I have full confidence in the guys at Aprilia.”
Marc Marquez – DNF
“Sometimes things don’t go as you expect but the most important thing is to get back up and move on. I hope you enjoyed the comeback! Now I’ll have an operation to fix the fracture of my right humerus. I promise you all that I will come back as soon as possible and even stronger.”
Valentino Rossi – DNF
“It was a tough weekend, because we suffered a lot in the high temperatures with the rear tyre. It looks like we were not able to make the rear tyre work in the right way. In the race I was not very fast from the beginning, I didn‘t have the rhythm of the group that was fighting for the podium. After some laps I had a problem with the rear tyre, because I lost a lot of grip and performance. After that, unfortunately, I had a problem with the bike. On the straight I got a red alarm, and I had to retire. It is a very strange situation because we will race here two times in a row. From one point of view this is very strange, but from the other side we can take this data and try to make things better and find some solution. It was a bad crash for Marquez at a bad point, it was a big highside. I wish him well.”
Joan Mir – DNF
“The truth is that our weekend wasn’t bad, the problem was just in the race. I tried to make up as many positions as possible at the start of the race but I had a poor start and I lost the front of my bike and crashed. It was my mistake and I want to apologise to the team. The good news is that we have another race here next weekend, and we will show our potential.”
Aleix Espargaro – DNF
“I am deeply sorry for Aprilia, the fans and for myself. I felt good from the start. I was faster than the riders ahead of me and, in fact, I was overtaking when I lost the front end. Unfortunately, with a full tank, it’s difficult to push, but my desire to take the RS-GP to a good result was very strong. Fortunately, we’ll be back on the track in just a few days. To be honest, I wish we were racing again tomorrow, because I think that an important result is within our reach. Next weekend, we’ll need to get off on the right foot straight away from Friday. Clearly, we’ll have clearer ideas so we can aim for better qualifying first and then for a solid race.”
Iker Lecuona – DNF
“To be honest, I already regret my decision to return to the garage. It was only five laps to go, I should have just taken a bit of speed out and try to finish the race as the points would have been in reach anyway. I missed out on what could have been a possible top 10 result but I felt really dizzy and didn’t want to risk a crash or put someone else in danger, so I stopped. Before that, I was quite strong, managed to be close to Miguel all the time.”
Cal Crutchlow – DNS
“Unfortunately this morning in the last lap of the warm-up I crashed going into turn eight. It seemed that when I braked on the kerb, the front of the bike slid and I was unable to save the crash. What was going to be a normal crash escalated when I went into the deep gravel trap and started tumbling, hitting my head quite a few times, particularly my face. I was a bit dazed after the crash, and a bit sore in my whole body, especially my hands. After further assessment at the medical centre I was sent for the CT scan on my head and neck and it all came back fine. With the facial bruising I had, however, Dr. Angel Charté felt I needed eight hours rest, which I think was the right decision. When I returned to the circuit I began to feel some pain in my left wrist, so went for another scan of the scaphoid, which it seems has been broken in the crash. Dr. Mir will operate on the wrist in Barcelona on Tuesday morning, and I will return to the circuit on Friday and hopefully to action. I look forward to seeing the LCR Honda Castrol Team there, and hopefully to work hard with them again next weekend.”
Team Managers
Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Yamaha Team Principal
“It’s an amazing feeling to see the first win for Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team and first win for a Yamaha satellite team for over 20 years as well as the first win for French rider in MotoGP for over 20 years. It’s a fantastic feeling so thank you to Fabio and all of the team for their effort to get here. It’s an amazing feeling and I can’t describe it much more than that at the moment!
“This is what we have been working so hard for and I’m pleased that our story continues on an upward trajectory. Let’s try for more of the same next week! To add to the win, we can see that Franky was strong in the race and matched his best-ever MotoGP finish on the first outing of the season.”
Johan Stigefelt – Petronas SRT Yamaha Team Director
“This was a great weekend. It started with some difficulties for Fabio, which was tough, but we upped our game and the team worked super hard the whole weekend. He had good pace in free practice and qualifying, with the new lap record, and he showed the speed in the race. It was not an easy race in the beginning for Fabio, having to overtake the Ducatis, but he kept calm and when he had the opportunity he made it to the front and extended a gap. We can’t ask for more, it’s a dream come true today. It’s a big hurdle that we’ve gotten over, from only starting this team a short while ago. To win in the first race of our second season is something amazing.
“We came out as the best team today and Franky has helped us achieve that. He was fighting really hard at the end of the race with bikes that were much faster than his. Finish top-five with both guys is great. Franky was very close to the podium this time and I’m really happy with his effort and his work. I’m really looking forward to next weekend. This was only the first race of the season but as a satellite team to be on top it’s incredible. Now we need to try to maintain this momentum.
“Massive thanks to our partners, especially Petronas for believing in us from the very beginning. Also thank you to all the fans for their support, it’s a shame they couldn’t be with us this weekend but we hope that we’ve given them something to cheer about.”
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director
“We were expecting a difficult but very exciting race. The main issue, we thought, was going to be managing the tyres, because this track is so demanding, and the heat just adds to it. We expected that there would be three riders who could run the pace at the front: Marc Marquez, Fabio, and Maverick. Maverick had a great start and rode strong opening laps, leading the race. It was a shame that the soft tyres didn‘t last as well as we expected, but he did a great job to take second place from Miller and defend it until the very end. These 20 points are a good start and very important for the championship. We are also happy for Fabio. We would have liked to fight him for the win, but this is a great first victory. It wasn‘t all smiles here, though. Valentino had a difficult time in the race to begin with, and in the end had to retire because of a technical issue. We are very disappointed about this. We have to work hard next week to get better results.”
Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager
“We’ve started an unusual season with such a long time between the races and a lot of things have happened since last November. We knew our bike from the winter tests would perform better than last year, but we haven’t been able to show it until this weekend. This is a result of all the excellent effort from everybody at the factory and all those connected to the project. When it comes to the riders then Pol made a very clever race. This short season means that a mistake in the first GP would have been costly but he still gave the maximum. Brad was outstanding to be in the leading group and until he saved his crash. His comeback and lap-times were amazing. It was a big lesson for him. Miguel struggled in the sessions but was already better from warm-up and managed a super 8th position. We could have had three bikes in the top ten. Iker learned how tough this category can be and how the bikes and the riders push to the limit. He showed us that he’s fast but still needs to get prepared for MotoGP. We are not worried though; he is the youngest in our group and he will pick it up.”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“Finally, the start of the season hasn’t gone well for us. It’s a real pity what’s happened this weekend – we lost Alex due to his injury and then also Joan couldn’t finish because of the crash. We had a lot of potential and we weren’t able to show it. Fortunately, we have another race here next weekend. Joan will be able to perform better and we also hope that Alex can come back.”
Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager
“It’s been a really difficult weekend for us, with Alex not starting and then Joan not finishing. We had a lot of hope for Joan, because he had good pace and we know he could’ve done a nice race. But starting from the fourth row made it harder, and he needed to do a lot of overtakes, one of these moves didn’t pay off and it ended like that. We’ve learned some things this weekend, and we hope to come back with both riders next weekend.”
Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager
“What an unbelievable first MotoGP race of the 2020 season here in Jerez! We knew the race was going to be incredibly tough for the riders, for the tyres, and we knew that the hot conditions will bring the riders and the bikes on their limits. We saw a lot of things happening. Our two guys got a good start. Miguel put his head down and kept a strong pace, that we knew from the weekend, because even though the Qualifying was a bit disappointing, we were sure that his pace was strong and this is what he showed. To end up the race in eighth position, which is equaling his best ever finish in MotoGP class, is a great start to the championship. We saw also the other three KTM’s very steady and fast on that circuit. Big congratulations to Miguel, he deserves a huge applause. He and the team worked hard and this is how you start a season on a strong foot.
“We were really, really happy until five laps to go with Iker as well, because he did also a great start, he was pushing, doing very close lap times to Miguel, but then what we were fearing happened. You have to be really on top physical form and we could see during the weekend that he was struggling to do these 25 laps in a row in these conditions, so it was a huge pity. I think he did a great weekend, he worked hard, he pushed hard and he deserved to see the flag, but anyway, at the end of the day, it’s easier to work on your physical condition than to make a slow rider a fast rider. Iker is a fast rider, he surprised everyone here, but he has got to work on his physical condition and I think he understood today that this is a crucial and very important point. Let’s hope we can have another strong weekend next week and meanwhile, let’s have a good rest for the next two days, as all of us have been suffering a lot.”
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager
“The selection was similar for all riders today, all went with the soft rear, with just two choosing a different front, the soft, and everybody else on the hard. The soft rear featured the new construction which made its racing debut today and performed really well for everybody. The consumption was not that high, because we chose compounds we expected would work in this heat, so much so that the hard was not needed despite track temperatures of over 50 degrees every day. The soft rear gave good grip for the whole race and everything was under control because it worked so well. It was not easy to decide on the range for this week, because we usually come in May and then back in November for a test, so temperatures are much lower. We expected it to be hot, but not like it was and I want to show my respect to the Technicians that used computer simulations and previous data to make such a strong selection for this weekend.
“It was great to break the all-time lap-record this weekend and get the highest top-speed, these are always important for us as they show reward for the hard work. Congratulations to Fabio Quartararo on his first win, of what I am sure will be many MotoGP victories. He set a stunning lap in qualifying, demonstrating the one-lap ability of our tyres and then showed a maturity in the race to use the same configuration of tyres to take a comfortable victory.
“MotoE gave us another exciting race and Eric Granado showed how hard you can push on the new tyres, especially the front. The latest evolution of MotoE tyres has worked really well here this weekend, we introduced them with the sustainable materials and the new compounds, plus a new rear construction and the performance was impressive, especially when the track was so hot in the afternoons. MotoE is an important discipline Michelin and to be able to kickstart the MotoGP race-day with all the bikes using Michelin tyres was certainly a good moment for us. We will now assess all the information ahead of next week’s World Cup and look forward more exciting races as the season progresses.”
MotoGP Results / Standings
Source: MCNews.com.au