Quartararo: All four Hondas really fast, pace amazing in MotoGP test

Reigning MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo tips Honda to have made the biggest step over the winter; 'If you check all the Honda riders, the pace is amazing'.
Pol Espargaro, Indonesia MotoGP test, 12 February 2022
Pol Espargaro, Indonesia MotoGP test, 12 February 2022
© Gold and Goose

The dirty and deteriorating track surface in Mandalika for the final MotoGP pre-season test means it's♊ harder than ever to predict who will be strongest at this weekend's Qatar season opener.

But based on what he saw i𓃲n testing, Fabio Quartararo agreed that the manufacturer that looks to have taken the biggest step since last season is Honda.

The heavily-revised RC213V topped the timesheets in Mandalika courtesy of Pol Espaꦆrgaro, but cruc💖ially also looked very quick in terms of average pace.

LCR's Takaaki Nakagami and Alex Marquez loo꧒ked fastest of those that co🦩mpleted final day race simulations, although not all riders used the same tyre choice and time of day was also a factor.

Nonetheless, "๊If you c🔯heck all the Honda riders, the pace is amazing," Quartararo said.

"You look at Pol, he🌜's for me the fastest, or pretty close. Marc is super fast, Alex is super fast also, Taka made a really great race ▨simulation.

"So the four Hondas are really fast. And you can see the bike is working in a different way. Then about the riders, from the outside it looks pretty go♒od."

Smiling that "power" was one thing on the⛎ 𒉰side of the Honda riders compared to his Yamaha, Quartararo added:

"I didn't ride that bike, but for s♕ure the trail braking of that bike looks really good, I saw Marc brak🥀ing super strong on the edge. And for me, the characteristic of the engine is different.

"When we slide, our bike is not stopping and not turning, and their bike, when it's sliding, they can still really turn. That's not somethin꧃g we are missing, that's just the characteristic of their bike."

At the e🧔nd of the Indonesian test, which saw Ducati once again dominate the top speeds, Pol Espargaro hinted that Honda are planning to deliver a little more power in time for Qatar.

Top speed is something Quartararo badly needs for his Yamaha, but h🤪e's not expecting a late miracle.

"To be honest, no. Because for three months, we haven't received so🍌mething special. In💖 two weeks, I will not expect something amazing," he said.

Nonethele♛ss, Quartararo also set a very strong🧸 pace in Mandalika and was a close match for the Hondas during his race simulation.

"With used tyres, I could really be fast. With 28 laps on the front, 20 on the rear, I was do🥃ing 32.4, 32.5. So I was feeling really strong, and from my side, I'm 100% [ready]," he warned.

Free practice in Qatar, where Qu🌊artararo took the first of his five victories last season, starts on Friday.

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