MotoGP Jerez: Quartararo targeting front row after ‘great lap and great pace’

Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo topped Friday’s MotoGP standings at Jerez despite an eye-watering morning crash.

Fresh from his Portimao victory, the defending champion’s 1’37.071 afternoon lap sat two-tenths clear of the next best effort - of Enea Bastianini - as conditions at the Andalucian track continued to improve across the day.

“I’m happy, especially because if you check the results of the last few years in Jerez, I was always struggling on the Friday,” Quartararo said after setting the session-topping time on his penultimate lap of the day. “We know the grip increases here day by day, which is important after yesterday’s rain.

“We have a margin with our pace because we know that with more grip, we’ll have better bike performance. This will be a strong point for us, and I already managed to put in a great lap this afternoon, so I’m pretty happy. We know where we can improve. I’m not nervous about it, because I know I can manage it. With the grip increasing, everything will be even better.”

The Frenchman’s afternoon ended positively but the morning saw him take a tumble at turn 13 on the patchy surface after Thursday’s evening thunderstorms, completing FP1 in fifth.

“Yeah it didn’t affect,” he said of the crash, despite clearly seen suffering in the aftermath. “I think that we managed to get a really great lap. Great lap and great pace.

“It was because of the wet patch,” he continued. “I overtake Diggia [Fabio Di Giannantonio] and I was on the wet patch quite straight and I thought I could turn but couldn’t do it, so that’s why.”

Having already identified areas to improve, Quartararo is feeling positive about the weekend ahead.

“Basically sector four,” he said of Saturday’s to-do list. “Turn eight was