Quartararo Outpaces Hondas at British GP Despite Yamaha’s Struggles: A Closer Look at the M1’s Battle for Grip and Speed

Fabio Quartararo: Yamaha faced greater challenges than Honda at the British MotoGP

The reigning world champion noted that Yamaha was at a disadvantage relative to Honda, although he managed to outperform Honda's racers in the British GP.

Fabio Quartararo feels that Yamaha faced greater challenges than their Japanese MotoGP competitor, Honda, at the British Grand Prix, even though they ended up three positions ahead in both events.

Starting in 18th position at Silverstone, the French driver made an impressive climb to finish 11th in both the sprint race and the main grand prix event.

Yamaha has shown significant improvement in 2024 with its M1 model, outperforming Honda, yet Quartararo revealed post-practice that the updates introduced at Silverstone left him hoping for better results.

Nonetheless, Quartararo maintained a lead of more than two seconds ahead of Johann Zarco, the leading Honda rider in 14th place, but mentioned he was "still lacking quite a bit."

"He mentioned that his motorcycle appears more impressive than it actually rides," he commented, referring to the vintage speed block design Yamaha showcased at the British Grand Prix, marking MotoGP’s 75th anniversary festivities.

The performance improved slightly since we aimed to maintain consistency with the bike we used in the previous day's sprint. However, there was still a significant gap to bridge.

"We put in our maximum effort, so we can feel content with our actions, despite them potentially falling short."

Quartararo responded by acknowledging that, despite being considered the top Japanese motorcycle competitor and capable of competing against riders such as Maverick Vinales and Jack Miller, they faced even greater challenges this weekend than the Hondas did.

"Our hold was weaker than theirs, yet as I mentioned, striving to our utmost capacity was the sole action available to me today.

Ultimately, I was able to compete against Maverick and Miller towards the finish, along with Frankie [Morbidelli], who managed to pass me on the final lap.

"However, we are fully aware of our vulnerabilities and must address them in order to strive for an improved standing."

Quartararo's performance at the British Grand Prix helped Yamaha maintain a significant lead over Honda in the manufacturers' rankings, with a 27-point gap as they approach the Austrian Grand Prix, where HRC anticipates the arrival of a new engine.

Yamaha unveiled a new engine design before the summer hiatus, yet another version they've been experimenting with – preferred by Quartararo – won't be revealed for several more races.

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Current Headlines

Site Navigation

CrashNet

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Reproducing the text, photos, or illustrations in full or in part is strictly prohibited in any manner.