“You don’t want to try your best” - Fabio Quartararo’s latest take on Yamaha’s struggles

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Fabio Quartararo has admitted Yamaha’s persistent lack of competitiveness is making it difficult for him to perform at his best in MotoGP this season.

MotoGP’s return to action at the Spanish Grand Prix after an unexpected four-week break did little to lift the mood within the Yamaha camp, with Practice at Jerez underlining the scale of the challenge the Iwata-based brand faces to return to the front.

As was the case during the opening trio of races, Yamaha ended up firmly at the bottom of the timesheets on Friday, with Quartararo finishing a distant 17th on the best of the V4-powered M1s.

The Frenchman finished just over a second off the pace set by Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati, but more concerning was the gap to his own performance at the same circuit last year.

In particular, Quartararo’s best time of 1m36.752s was 1.1s down on the lap that earned him a shock pole last year. Even compared to Friday practice last year, he remained three tenths off his previous pace on the inline-four M1.

With Yamaha facing a long road to recovery, the 2021 champion suggested that he is now beginning to feel resigned to the situation.

“How it looks is how it is,” he admitted. “I mean, 1.1s from our best lap time in Jerez is really, really far.

“But I think we are starting to get a bit used [to it]. Every time when you come to a circuit, you have - I will not say expectation - but you just don't want to try your best.

“Unfortunately, we are far.”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing