MotoGP Rookie of the Year Fabio Quartararo wants to remain grounded despite the fame he enjoyed in the recent season.
The Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) hopes to build from the performances and do better in his second season with SRT alongside Franco Morbidelli.
Quartararo, 20, admitted that he had made a fair share of mistakes in his first year with the team.
“It is important to not over-analyse the year (2019) but it’s also true that there were some races where we could have done a better job like (the crashes) in Phillip Island and Silverstone.
“I made mistakes but that’s part of the job and I learned from them,” said Quartararo.
“Next year I want to perform better in races as I am fast in qualifying.”
A podium finish at every race is what Quartararo is targeting for the new season.
His performances this year (six pole positions, 13 front row starts and seven podiums) have seen him go from being a relative unknown to a well-recognised figure worldwide.
“My expectation for next year will be to fight for the podium in every race and to be top five when we can’t be in the top three,” said Quartararo.
“Of course, I feel it (fame) because last year I was a nobody and then suddenly with a big change in performance this year people started recognising me on the street.
“But the important thing is for me to try to be the same person and not do stupid things. I want to stay like I was before.”
MotoGP testing will continue on home soil at Sepang on Feb 7-9, followed by testing at Qatar on Feb 22-24.
The new season starts with the Qatar Motorcycle Grand Prix on March 6-8.