Fabio Quartararo feeling “heartbroken” by gap to front in Hungary MotoGP practice

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Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo has admitted he felt “heartbroken” after finishing more than a second off the pace in Practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Following a tough weekend in Mugello during which he expressed concerns about his diminishing motivation, the Balaton Park Circuit offered little respite to the 2021 MotoGP champion as he failed to break inside the top 10 on Friday.

The track’s layout should theoretically suit Yamaha’s 2026 package, with a lack of long straights masking the limitations of its new V4 engine.

But the Iwata-based brand ended up as the slowest manufacturer at the 4.1km circuit located near the shores of the Balaton Lake, with Honda’s Diogo Moreira comfortably outperforming the four M1 riders.

“We're a second off - on such a small track, that's not great,” Quartararo told French broadcaster Canal+.

“The feel isn't great, but it's already a little better than at Mugello in terms of feel. But I'm riding in a way that's not at all how you're supposed to ride a MotoGP bike, and I'm not enjoying it at all.”

Asked why he was riding differently this weekend, he said: "Because I have to compensate to get the bike turning, to do something, and I think it’s complicated.

“I think we’re really pushing the limits for something that doesn’t amount to much. I mean, pushing ourselves to the limit like this and seeing that we’re a second off the leader - honestly, I feel heartbroken.”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

The Frenchman again expressed his frustration with a lack of progress at Yamaha in recent months, with the in-season tests at Jerez and Barcelona doing little to alleviate the team’s fortunes.

“Apart from Mugello, if you look at my comments since the first test, they’re copy-pasted,” he said. “On every track, there’s no difference - they’re copy-pasted - so the debriefs have been pretty much the same for the past few months.”

Quartararo added that the turning issues with the M1 will complicate his race on Sunday.

“The mindset is to try to do my best,” he said. “As I said, if I feel good, I’ll push to the max. Then I know there are a few corners during the weekend I won’t give it my all, except in qualifying where I’ll try my hardest.

“In turns 7 and 8, leaning that far over and seeing that the bike isn’t turning, and being that close to the limit - I don’t think it’s worth it. I’ll try to give it my all, but I’m not having fun.”