Fabio Quartararo could only muster an 11th place start for tomorrow's second Valencia MotoGP of the season while Petronas Yamaha team-mate Franco Morbidelli stuck his M1 on pole.

Quartararo runs the 2020 version of the bike while Morbidelli has a lower-spec model but in the second half of the year he has been able to make it work better no matter what setup alterations the Frenchman has made.

“I think the amount of changes that we did this weekend is much more than what we did all season last year,” said Quartararo, speaking at the track.

“We make big changes because we think it’s going to work, but every time it’s the same problem, we are pushing and trying to adapt to the bike.

“But every time it’s the same problem. So, normally when we are running bad like this weekend we can put in a new tyre and everything is OK because you have rear grip and everything is working.

But, right now, apart from Franco who has a different bike from us, we are all running in a bad way.”

Maverick Vinales was the best of the works Yamahas in sixth place while Valentino Rossi was 16th.

“I’m seven tenths behind Franco and normally qualifying is my strongest points, I put in a new tyre and I just go to the limit,” said Quartararo.

Right now, the limit is 30.8s and we are seven-tenths behind. We didn’t have another tyre in Q2, but I would not have improved seven-tenths.

“Maybe between 1'30.5s and 1'30.8s, and the problem is I’m much more on the limit. Normally I have flow and I can make it all-in-one.

This year in general, and more here, I’m reaching on the bike and I don’t have the flow to make it all in one moment from the braking to the corner apex.

“This is something we can’t understand with all the changes we made yesterday and today.”