Fabio Quartararo says the new engine 🐻on his Yamaha MotoGP bike encountered an issue in MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix practice and won’t be used for the rest of the weekend.

The 2021 world champion revealed on Thursday at Sepang🍃 that he would be running a new engine, though admitted that it didn’t last very long when he first tested it.

While feedback from team-mate ꦉAlex Rins in testing was that it was “clearly, clearly” better, Quartararᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚo once again encountered trouble with the engine and has had to shelf it for the rest of the Malaysian GP.

“I could only make one and a half laps with the engine,” Quartararo, who was sixt🦹h at the end of practice, said.

“We had an iss♋ue with the engine, so wꦗe will not use it anymore.

“We tried the new engine, as you saw with the long exhaust, and we had an issue; we broke the engine🌠.

“I don’t know if it’s broken or not, but at least i🌠t stopped on the straight a💙nd we could not fix it for this weekend.”

'Forgot it's easier to highside'

Team-mate Alex Rins did use the new engine all day and was eighth, marking the first time both Yamaha riders have made direct passage to Q2 since the Portuguese GP bac🦂k in Marc💖h.

Despite being forced to revert to the bike he uౠsed at Buri🌊ram last week, Quartararo was competitive all day at Sepang.

Sixth at the end of practice follows on from a strong time attack s🌼howing in Thailand, in which he qualified sixth, with Quartararo crediting his speed on a drastic electronics change Yamaha has made to his bike.

“So, to be honest, since Thailand, but really we are changing today the way of managing the electronics, whic♌h for me we are still with the old base but like usual, like Yamaha back in the day,” he explained.

😼“So, we are riding in a completely different🐼 style.

“Myself, it’s difficult to adapt because we changed a lot on the electronics and I still have to remember a few things 🔯because we are controlling the bike much les💃s.

“So, if I forget it’s much easier to make a highside. I thiꩲnk I was riding in a good way today.”

He added: “We have been talking for a long time, but really never made🌸 the steඣp because it’s quite big.

“But what do I have tꦆo lose? Maybe starting in Q1? I’m used to this f🌌rom this year.

“But what I want is to prepare nex🐠t year, I want to feel the best and try to see if we can manage to get the best as possible.”

ౠThis radical set-up shift with the electronics is something Quartarar🅺o says comes from technical director Max Bartolini’s input.

“Of course; ﷽the things come from him,” Quartararo said of Bartolini.

“I think I’ve spoken more to him this ye😼ar than🌜 my mum. So, I’m a little bit tired of him already!

“No, I’m joking. But we talk a lot with Max and I think from my point of view I have to talk a lot and understand pretty well how it is going, especially on the🍸 side of where he was working in the past.

“I understand more things that in the beginning ofꦉ the season he was telling me, but I was not really believing completely.

“And now I see step by step we are working in this way and I feel we have to improve🐲. And 🅰we improved.

“But we need more time, and now I understand why it takes so much time to really mak✨e some steps.”