Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo began his MotoGP title defence by completing pre-season testing second in the standings.

Just 0.014s denied Quartararo from the top as three days of testing at Mandalika in Indonesia came to a close. Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro set the benchmark time early on Sunday morning with the Frenchman challenging in the closing seconds.  

Despite the satisfactory time attack, the Yamaha front runner was left wanting as the first race of the season drew closer with top speed and consistent feeling still lacking compared to his ideals.

“This morning I was pretty fast but not feeling so great, so I was not happy,” Quartararo explained as the weekend’s work concluded on Lombok Island. “The conditions were really similar to the afternoon so I was happy because, more than the lap time, improving my feeling with the bike was much better but we arrived to the limits. Unfortunately I felt on the limit everywhere, the lap time was good but I expect a little bit better. Let's see, in Qatar will be another story but from my side I'm 100 per cent ready.

“To be honest, I don't know where we can improve,” he continued on the somewhat disappointing improvement made by the M1. “When you start to feel the front moving everywhere, the rear spinning at the limit, yourself touching the elbow everywhere. It's difficult to find more you know, but for me what is important is that the team, especially Yamaha, work a lot in this area to find whatever, to have more speed, to feel myself less on the limit. Because to be honest, to ride at this pace, every time I go on track I need to push so much and at the end is something that, for sure every rider is on the limit but it is quite tough for us.

“I put 100 per cent every time I go on track, then what we have, is what we have. We have a top speed that I expect much better for this '22 but actually is exactly the same. I know every time I say and I will not say it any more, because at the end we know what we have on the engine and horsepower but like I said 100 per cent from my side will be always there.”

Despite temperatures on track hitting low 60’s Celsius, Quartararo set about an 18 lap race run on Sunday afternoon.

“So today we decided with the team to go with the medium for the race simulation because they said the soft will not be here for the race, but actually it was a nightmare of a race simulation. I never had such a bad feeling with a rear tyre. I wanted to make another race simulation with the soft but the team say ‘keep calm’. Just after the race simulation I arrived with an old, old soft and I was more than half a second faster so I'm really happy with the pace actually. Even this afternoon I did 31.6 with 10 laps on the rear tyre so is really good but yes, actually I think we make great job. We adapt ourselves to the bike and I think our pace is strong. One lap, the last one, much more than the lap time, is my feelings were much better. So this is why I feel like we made a good step on the afternoon.”

One major issue of MotoGP’s maiden visit to the new circuit was the degradation of track surface over the three days of action with safety concerns brought up in both the safety commission and multiple interviews.

“To be honest the track for run off area when you crash, I think is one of the best tracks ever,” the 2021 Champion highlighted. “But what is true is, like I've been behind Franco and I received an amount of small gravel on the neck and on the visor that was a lot, and I was only behind Franco! So imagine if you're behind three, four, five riders during many laps. To be honest after three laps I had the neck that was hurting, not a lot but I know that if you stay more than ten laps behind someone your neck is going to stay in the track.

“Especially I think from turn one to turn seven there is a lot of, lets say the tarmac is going away but I think for the race they need to resurface turn one because it's a total disaster. In three days you can see the amount of ground that is coming lower and lower. So for me, the track is safe just this big, big problem about the tarmac going away.”

While the 2022 calendar appears to be the most demanding yet, with two new venues creating a 21-strong schedule, the 22-year-old is looking forward to the challenge of new tracks and increased racing.

“I like to travel, I like to be always moving around so for me this will not be a problem. We have two new circuits, this one and Finland. Let's see how is Finland. I think is quite fun. I feel maybe for the people in the team, team members, mechanics, everyone on the team is not really happy because they go away a long time from their family but for me, at the moment I feel like I'm enjoying a lot doing a lot of races.”