Fabi Quartararo faced a challenging outing during Saturday’s half-distance race at the Losail International Circuit, finishing in 12th place, nearly 13 seconds behind the leader in the 11-lap contest. Struggling with grip issues throughout the weekend, the French rider also encountered significant tyre degradation towards the end of the sprint, losing a position to Marco Bezzecchi on the final lap.
While Quartararo had already adjusted his expectations for the new season, the extent of tyre wear at Losail came as a surprise. He expressed concerns about whether he could even finish the full 22-lap race on Sunday due to the heavy degradation experienced in the sprint.
Despite not taking an aggressive approach with his tire choice, Quartararo was puzzled by the excessive degradation. Opting for medium tires on both the front and rear of his Yamaha M1.
During the pre-season test, Quartararo experienced a smaller drop in tyre performance over a longer race simulation, indicating a significant difference in track conditions during the sprint race. However, he struggled to pinpoint the exact cause of the drastic tyre degradation observed on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Quartararo’s teammate Alex Rins also encountered tyre wear issues, finishing in 17th place and highlighting the challenge of managing rear tyre degradation over a longer race distance.
With concerns about tyre wear looming large for Yamaha, Quartararo and Rins face a daunting task heading into the full-length race on Sunday, where tyre management will be crucial for a successful outcome.
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