Qatar Test: Race simulations leave Quartararo, Morbidelli smiling
Will Fabio Quartararo make history this year by becoming the first rider from a satellite Yamaha team to win a MotoGP ra🔯ce - or might it bܫe team-mate Franco Morbidelli?
Both Petronas Yamaha riders signed off the 2020 pre-season with strong race simulations on the final ni🌳ght in🌌 Qatar.
After six poles and seven podiums during his rookie campaign, Quartararo -🐈 now promoted to Factory spec M1 machinery - has his sights firmly set on the top step:

Will Fabio Quartararo make history this year by becoming the first rider from a satellite Yamaha team to win a Mo🍷toGP race - or might it be team-mate Franco Morbidelli?
Botꦫh Petronas Yamaha riders signed off the 2020&n🐷bsp;pre-season with strong race simulations on the final night in Qatar.
After six poles and seven podiums during his rookie campaign, Quartararo - now promoted t📖o Factory spec M1 machinery - has his sights firmly set on the top step:
"Last year we made pole positions but zero wins, so maybe the goal for this year will🌌 be to swap; no pole positions,ꦛ but winning!" he said earlier in the Qatar test.
That ta🍌r🦹get might even be achievable at round one if his race pace at the end of Monday's test is anything to go by.
Although held up by slower riders in the closin🌌g stages of the simualtion, causing his lap times to 'bounce', Quartararo was still in the 1m 54s after a full 22 lap grand prix distance and had the best average pace during a Monday long run.

The caveat is that not all riders completed a race s൩imulation on the final night, including factory Yamaha's Maverick Vinales, who looke🎃d to have a marginally faster pace during long runs on the second night.
Nonetheless, Quartararo said he also has some time still in h♌and…
"We made a race simulat🎐ion. The pace was really good and we have a little bit of margin," he smiled. "I'm really happy because it was a pace of '54 high for almost all the race simulation."
Quartararo's best flying⛦ lap put 👍him fourth (+0.219s) on the final timesheets behind Vinales, Morbidelli and Rins.
"I think I can improve my time attack because I൩ did a mistake on my lap, I made my fastest lap with five laps on the tyre and it was [still] good," he said.
"For the GP weekend I want to improve the fast lap as we know it is normall꧙y our speciality. I know we can do it for the first round though and I’m really happy about the job we did today."
Morbidelli, riding the A-Spec version of the M1, was a close match for Quartararo d♌uring his race simulation, while also leading the timesheets for large parts of the day.
"It was a𒀰 positive test for us overall. We closed the gap to the top little by little and today the pace was really good. The hot lap was also very good, so I’m happy about that," he said.
"We will take the positives and try to improve even more and make a good job in the race, which is the most important thing. I’m very happy about this pre-season and🅷 I think that we have a good feeling straight away from Sepang."
Team manager Wilco Zeelenberg said: "It was also very impꦓortant to have the r🃏ight feeling for the race simulation.
"I’m very 🐠pleased with both riders’ results: Fabio was ൲clearly fast like last year but now Franco has made a step up and also proven how quick he is with a top three result.
"Yamaha promised us two good spec bikes and clearly they have given us this. We are now looking 🌜forward to the race next w𓄧eek."

Peter ha🔯s been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go🌺. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.