Only six riders remain in contention for the world championship title at the end of the year. In Valencia for the 12th episode of the season, Fabio Quartararo was full of hope as he returned to a track that had been successful for him last year. Unfortunately, in wet conditions during qualifying, the rider from Nice only managed to secure the 11th position, his worst result in MotoGP.
Starting in the middle of the pack, Quartararo got off to a good start by overtaking two riders to find himself in 9th position. However, as he was battling with Aleix Espargaró, the Nice native saw the Aprilia rider in front of him fall. Fabio, also getting caught by surprise as the bike slipped away in front, lost the front end. Despite this fall, the Frenchman rejoined the race more than 30 seconds behind the race leaders, the Suzuki riders. A nightmare for him, who had to secure substantial points this weekend to maintain a chance of capturing the title by the end of the season.
Except in exceptional race circumstances, it’s difficult to score points in the championship. Yet, after the crashes of Bagnaia, Crutchlow, and A. Marquez combined with mechanical failures causing retirements for Rossi and Rabat, our local rider climbed back to 14th place, earning points. Two small points that weigh little against the 25 points garnered by the world championship leader Joan Mir (23 years old), who led the race for the first time this season! An incredible statistic for the young Spaniard, who won his second Grand Prix in the premier class, his first of the season!
While mathematically everything is still possible in the title race, the disappointment was immense for the Nice rider upon arrival in the Petronas team’s box. To keep hoping, the “Scorpion” will have to be flawless next weekend on the same track. On the positive side, his race pace despite the fall could hint at a great race next Sunday!
Fabio Quartararo has two races (50 points) left to close his 37-point gap with Mir. The successor’s name to Marc Marquez, whose return to competition might be announced next weekend, could be known in seven days. Let’s hope the battle will continue until the last GP!
