The MotoGP grid made its debut in India on the Buddh circuit. This was an opportunity for struggling manufacturers like Yamaha to shine, starting from a clean slate in terms of track knowledge.
Upon arriving at this new circuit, Fabio Quartararo did not seem very optimistic. However, qualifying in eighth place could have been a good omen for the weekend. The sprint race even provided valuable lessons. The Frenchman took advantage of race incidents at the start to climb to sixth place. He even moved up one more position after a few laps and the fall of Joan Mir, who was also in good form this weekend despite having an even more challenging season than the Nice native. Although it was evident that the Yamaha could not keep up with the fastest riders (overtaken by Bezzecchi on the last lap), the weekend was not entirely a waste. But Quartararo doesn’t necessarily see it that way. “In terms of results, it was good, for sure, but in terms of sensations, it was bad, because I was able to see all our problems, and they have been the same for a long time. In the end, I saw that I couldn’t really catch up with those ahead of me in many areas, but we were losing time in many areas, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
A Very Good Start for Fabio Quartararo
For the long race, the goal was clear: “get a good start” because the Nice native thought it would be “very difficult to maintain the pace for 21 laps.”
At the start, the first objective was achieved. Fabio overtook two riders and even found himself in fourth place at the end of the long straight. He regained this position in the sixth lap after Marc Marquez fell in front of him. Contrary to what he said the day before, Fabio Quartararo kept up with the riders ahead of him. By making the most of his braking skills, the Azurian managed to stay within striking distance of the podium. A podium opened up for him after the surprise fall of the world championship leader Francesco Bagnaia. The opportunity was too good to pass up for the 2021 world champion. Towards the end of the race, “El Diablo” even took advantage of a mistake due to fatigue by Jorge Martin in front of him to try to take second place. Ultimately, he equaled his best result of the year by finishing third. “That was one of my best races, so I’ll be able to sleep well tonight. I didn’t make any mistakes today.”
A refreshing change in the Indian heat after a tense week within the team. The Frenchman even put on a show for the large crowd present this weekend. The next meeting for MotoGP riders is next weekend in Japan.
