The 1000th Moto GP Grand Prix held at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans was far from restful for Nice’s Fabio Quartararo. After a disappointing qualification, the Yamaha rider started from the 13th position on the grid.
Despite a great comeback in the first few laps during the 13-lap sprint race on Saturday, number 20 crashed four laps from the finish. “I must have missed the line by five centimeters, it’s nothing at all but at the moment I can’t afford any mistakes,” he admitted after the race. A small point lost for the 2021 world champion who is sorely lacking points at the start of this season. The reason being a lack of feeling with the front tire on his new machine. The only positive point before the GP was “El Diablo’s” pace, just 0.4 seconds off the best times.
An “incredible arm pain” during the race
Hampered by severe pain in his forearm, Fabio Quartararo launched into the historic 1000th GP on home soil. Despite receiving medical treatment before the start, the race was a true ordeal. “Simply put, before the race I was fine but as soon as it started, my arm swelled up, from mid-race to the end,” the Nice native explained after the race on Canal +.
Starting cautiously, he took advantage of numerous crashes at the start of the race. Quite far from the leaders, the important thing was to finish and gather points for the 7th place. “Given the circumstances, I think I surprised myself with the ability to endure 14 laps with incredible arm pain,” he added, showing his swollen arm. A pain that has affected him several times since 2019, resulting in two surgeries.
In the world championship standings, the Yamaha rider is in the 9th place with 49 points. Far behind the leader Francesco Bagnaia who has 94 points. The next appointment is on June 11 at Mugello for the Italian GP. A much-needed rest period for Quartararo during these challenging times.
