Fabio Quartararo described his second-place finish at Jerez as “special”, but is choosing to remain “calm” for the upcoming MotoGP races.
The Frenchman produced a remarkable pole position on Saturday, ending a 1,134-day wait by setting an all-time lap record.
Despite a crash early in Saturday’s Sprint, Quartararo led the way for ten laps in Sunday’s 25-lapper before securing second place, claiming his first podium since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old described his weekend as “special” before explaining what he found in the data post-race.
“It was a really special weekend for me, especially the pole position and the fairly aggressive start in the Sprint, with Marc [Marquez] in Turn 1,” Quartararo said to GPOne.
“We were fast this weekend and we know that we struggle a bit more on Sunday after the Moto2 race, but I was able to make my pace, and even though my lines are different from others, I was able to lead for a few laps.
“It was really important for us, because after Alex [Marquez] passed me, I couldn’t even follow him for a few corners, but then I was able to make my pace and finish in the best position I could finish in today.”
Quartararo: Jerez MotoGP a ‘good step’ from ‘mental point of view’
The Nice-born racer went on to describe what it felt like to be out front in a race again after spending an extended period in the middle of the pack.
However, the 2021 champion isn’t getting carried away about his strong result, emphasising a calm approach for the races ahead.
“I enjoyed the race, also because it had been so many years since I was in the lead of a MotoGP race,” he stated.
“The feeling of not having anyone in front of us is fantastic, and I think it was a good step for me from a mental point of view to know that we are fast and can fight with our opponents.
“However, I think we should not have any expectations for the next races, because the bike is the same as the last two Grands Prix and we know how much we struggled in Qatar.
“We have to keep calm and the day we have the opportunity to do this kind of GP we will do our best to take it and do what we did today.”
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