Starting from 2nd place on the grid, the Nice-born Fabio Quartararo had a good chance of achieving a historic triple. He ultimately finished in 7th place.
Having won the first two events of the season, Quartararo had high ambitions for this weekend in the Czech Republic. However, the MotoGP world championship leader did not have the weekend he hoped for. From Friday’s first practice sessions, the Nice-born rider did not seem comfortable with his Michelin tires, a lack of confidence that likely led to his crash on his final qualifying lap.
Although he got a holeshot in the race, the Yamaha rider’s power grab was only short-lived. First, he was overtaken by his teammate Franco Morbidelli at the end of the first corner, then by the KTMs and also the Frenchman Johann Zarco, who started from pole position (a first since the 2018 French GP). Fabio never managed to match the pace of the riders ahead of him. Benefiting from Pol Espargaro’s crash in front of him to gain a position, he would lose the podium to Rins, Rossi, and Olivera.
However, despite finishing 7th in the race, Quartararo maintains the lead in the world championship with 59 points, compared to Viรฑales’ 42 points and 31 points for his teammate Morbidelli, who is tied with the Italian Dovisioso in third position.
It is worth noting that Johann Zarco achieved his first podium with his new Avintia team (the first podium in the team’s history), and Brad Binder (KTM) secured his first victory in the premier category, marking the best result for the Austrian team since their return to the Grand Prix.
