PETRONAS Yamaha SRT head to Germany on crest of a wave

Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli head to Sachsenring confident after the team’s best-ever result at the Dutch TT

PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli go into this weekend’s German Grand Prix with the confidence of achieving the team’s best-ever result last time out in the Dutch TT.

Third for Fabio and fifth for Franco was achieved at Assen in the first race weekend where the team utilised PETRONAS’ new Sprinta engine oil, developed specifically for the team’s Yamaha YZR-M1. This added impetus means the team is focused to capitalise on its performance as MotoGP goes into the first back-to-back races in the premier class, moving across Europe to the Sachsenring.

Quartararo will be looking to make it three podiums in a row come Sunday’s 30-lap race at the shortest track on the MotoGP calendar, coming straight off the back of successive podiums in Barcelona and Assen. Still learning in every race, the rookie will also have the added experience of having led a MotoGP race for the first time as he takes on the Sachsenring.

Morbidelli will be looking to build on a strong performance last time out, as the Italian-Brazilian racer matched his best ever finish in the premiere class of fifth. Already a winner at the Sachsenring circuit, located just outside the town of Chemnitz, he took victory there in 2017 en-route to the Moto2 crown, and will be targeting another strong result this time round – especially after being forced to sit out the race last season thanks to injury.

Sunday’s race will kick off at 2pm local time (8pm Malaysian time).

Franco Morbidelli:

“I’m not sure what to expect at Sachsenring, but it’s a circuit that I really like. I’ve always been fast there on a Moto2 bike, but I didn’t ride last year on the MotoGP bike because I was injured. Let’s see what happens, but we’re going in with a clean sheet of paper and with a really good feeling in the last ten laps of the race at Assen that we can build on. The team and I have a really great working method now, it’s a narrow track with flowing corners that will suit the bike, and I feel confident going there on a Yamaha.”

Fabio Quartararo:

“Sachsenring is a circuit that can be really good for us. It’ll be positive to arrive there because in Assen I was able to rest my arm injury in the left corners and Sachsenring has a lot of left corners! I can’t wait for a few days of rest before starting the weekend strongly. It isn’t my favourite circuit, but with the physical condition that I’m in it can be a good track for us – and it’s also been a good circuit for the Yamaha YZR-M1 too.”