To cope with the heat demands of the Buriram track, Michelin’s rear tyres feature a carcass that is slightly harder than normal.
A similar tyre is always brought to Thailand and Austria, but it was also used in India and Indonesia – where Quartararo was competitive and finished third in both grands prix.
Quartararo secured direct passage into Q2 for Saturday’s qualifying after ending Friday eighth overall and explained that the tyre casing brought to Thailand hinders Yamaha less than it does its rivals.
“Yes, it was the main goal and we did it in a good way,” the Frenchman said about getting into Q2.
“So, I’m really happy, the pace was good. As soon as we have a [tyre] casing that is a little bit different from normal, we can enjoy a little bit more.
“For us, it [the bike] is the same, but the others cannot use all of their power. So, that was good.”
Quartararo struggled massively in Australia one week ago and was 14th in the grand prix, having found it difficult to carry corner speed through Phillip Island’s turns.
While Buriram is not the most flowing of tracks, Quartararo’s corner speed has been much better, which he says is down to how he is able to force his M1.
“Phillip Island is more a track where you charge, it’s a more flowing track, [where] the natural turning of the bike [comes into play],” he explained, having been critical of the Yamaha chassis and the lack of development this season.
“So, this was more difficult, but here you can really bring energy to the bike by the throttle and really by the brakes.
“Like Turn 4, you brake quite strong, you downshift two gears. So, you can make the bike balance a little bit more, and Phillip Island is totally a different story.”
Quartararo added that he is losing two tenths of a second on the straights in Thailand, but said this is “out of my hands” and is focused on recouping it under braking.
With his form on Friday in Thailand strong and now into Q2, Quartararo believes he “can be able to fight for the top five and why not the podium” if he can qualify well.
Quartararo once again tested Yamaha’s twin exhaust system on Friday at Buriram, having tried it at other circuits this year.
However, he remains unconvinced by it: “We tried it already three or four times, but it was not really working.
“Japanese engineers wanted to try it again. I don’t know why exactly, but they wanted to try. But we don’t see any gain on this exhaust.”
