The halfway mark of the season was reached in Austria on the Spielberg circuit, with hopes of achieving a strong second half of the championship for Fabio Quartararo.
After a good qualifying session compared to previous weeks, Fabio Quartararo started ninth on the grid. A promising position to hope for scoring some points. Especially after the good pace observed at Silverstone two weeks ago. Except that not everything would go as planned.
The Frenchman, showing a good start, found himself blocked on the inside of the first turn by Jorge Martin. The Spaniard, braking very late, pushed the Frenchman to the outside, causing a chain reaction crash involving three riders. In total, six bikes were involved, including that of the world championship’s second-place rider Marco Bezzecchi and Johann Zarco. “I don’t know who I had in front of me, but I braked very late and caught up with him significantly. Then I saw someone coming at a much higher speed than usual,” Fabio Quartararo analyzed for Canal + after the race. “I did my best braking as late as possible, and I believe I have nothing to blame myself for. I was sandwiched on both sides. I don’t want to go into that kind of debate.”
Rejoining in 20th place, the Nice native had little left to hope for, other than continuing to learn from the new additions to his Yamaha. Later in the race, Fabio was logically penalized for dangerous riding after sending Lorenzo Salvadori into the gravel.
Positive Takeaways from the Long Race
For the Sunday race, Fabio Quartararo once again made a good start. This time, there were no issues at the start, but in the first laps, the Maralpin was pushed down the standings by Aleix Espargaro. After three laps, he lost five positions, finding himself in 12th place. Struggling with his Yamaha, he had trouble keeping up with the riders ahead. Taking advantage of a battle in front of him, Fabio Quartararo caught up with a small group to contend for eighth place.
Mid-race, the sensations seemed to improve. Overtaking was no longer an issue after he managed to get past Johann Zarco and Jack Miller. Even better, his Yamaha was even capable of overtaking the powerful Ducati of Enea Bastianini. Towards the end of the race, with a clear track ahead, “El Diablo” closed in on Aleix Espargaro. Riding five-tenths faster, Fabio Quartararo could legitimately aim to finish in eighth place. In the final lap, the Frenchman managed to overtake the Aprilia. It felt like a bit of a revenge after the first lap. A very good sign for the rest of the championship.
The next meeting is on the weekend of September 3rd at the Catalonia Grand Prix.
