PETRONAS Yamaha SRT riders conclude Sepang test with success

Michelle Liew

February 11, 2020

Fabio Quartararo strives to the top of the sheets in Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia.

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT | Photo credits: Yamaha Racing

The test session at the Sepang International Circuit is off to a stellar start for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT with Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli finishing at first and 13th place. Both riders managed to secure the impressive results after garnering vital knowledge as they prepare for the new season next month in Qatar.

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT will have to some time to gather more information before heading to the next MotoGP Official Test in Qatar. The race will commence at the floodlit Losail International Circuit on February 22 and 24.

Fabio Quartararo (PETRONAS Yamaha SRT)- As It Happened

Photo credits: Yamaha Racing

“Today was a difficult day for us, it was not easy to get into the pace and make a good lap this morning, but overall I’m really happy. We did a long run of 12 laps in the hottest conditions when there was nobody on track. It was not bad: our pace was high 1min 59sec and low 2mins, it was 55 degrees on track and nobody else was riding so it was probably the worst track conditions we had today.”

“We are working in a really good way to improve the speed and hopefully in Qatar we will take another step forward. My goal now has changed a little bit; we want to have better long run pace, because we now know over one lap we are fast. Overall, I’m really happy with the first test of the year with the 2020 bike,” says Quartararo as quoted from Yamaha Racing.

Franco Morbidelli (PETRONAS Yamaha SRT)- As It Happened

Photo credits: Yamaha Racing

“I feel quite happy about this test as we’ve been working a lot and we understand many things on the new bike. I also already feel that I have good confidence with the new bike. We didn’t use the super soft tyre today to make the time attack, we used it yesterday just for normal running. So I think that is why we are not higher up the timings today. But even with the normal tyre on the time attack our pace is not so far off the top. I understand a lot from these three days and we know what we need to work on in Qatar. It has been overall a good test and I look forward to Qatar now and we try to do a good job there also.”