MotoGP met at Silverstone for the 7th event of the season. Building on their superb performances at the French Grand Prix 15 days ago, Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo were ready to battle it out this weekend.
In the heart of motorsport at Silverstone, the weekend began well for our riders from the Maritime Alps. Johann Zarco clocked the ninth fastest time in qualifying despite a crash with his LCR Honda, which won at the French Grand Prix. An encouraging result marking a significant step forward with his machine since the start of the season.
Another rider who has made impressive progress in recent weeks, Fabio Quartararo secured his third pole position of the season on Saturday. This 19th best time of his MotoGP career shows that the official Yamaha has made significant strides in the past month. A renewed confidence that boosts the morale of the Nice native.
However, having a good bike for one lap doesn’t guarantee success in the race. And that’s where Yamaha struggles. Despite a good start, Fabio Quartararo couldn’t maintain the pace of the Ducati riders. Lacking top speed, he was overtaken in the first lap by Marc Marquez and then his brother Alex. Johann Zarco was very aggressive. After two laps, the man from Cannes climbed to 7th position.
Struggling with his machine, Fabio Quartararo found himself battling with Johann Zarco for the 6th place. The LCR Honda rider managed to overtake his compatriot and then immediately surpassed the double world champion, Francesco Bagnaia. He finished the sprint in 5th position while Fabio Quartararo had to settle for 7th place. A little disappointment for him as he aimed for a podium at the start: “we don’t really understand what happened during the sprint. Especially with the rear tire, with which we struggled a lot from the start,” admitted the Nice native after the first race of the weekend. On the other hand, Johann Zarco was quite satisfied with what was his best result in a sprint race: “It’s going well, it’s really cool.” A good sign ahead of the Grand Prix this Sunday.
Fabio Quartararo: The MasterClass before the Break
Starting from the same position on the grid, the riders from the Maritime Alps made a decent start. Fabio Quartararo was overtaken by Alex Marquez, who crashed at the first corner before Marc took the lead. Johann Zarco stayed cautious to maintain 10th place as the day before. But after an initial clash between two riders at the back of the grid, the race was interrupted due to oil on the track. Consequently, everything had to be redone.
For the second start, everything went perfectly for the two Frenchmen. Fabio Quartararo resisted the Ducati riders well to maintain the lead of the race. After two laps, he even managed to create a gap of over two seconds over the Ducati riders. An incredible start to the race thanks to a more aggressive tire choice. Johann Zarco also managed to make a difference and quickly found himself in 4th position. Both French riders had every chance of reaching the podium, or better. While the Cannes native on his LCR Honda fought for the podium halfway through the race, Fabio Quartararo had more than a five-second lead over the second-placed Marco Bezzecchi. A chasm in MotoGP. Especially since behind him, the top competitors were struggling in traffic. Without hiccups, Fabio Quartararo seemed to have the race won.
But motorsport can sometimes be cruel. On the twelfth lap, Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha failed him when everyone thought he had the race in hand. Incredibly shocked, the Nice native was seen in tears in the arms of his lifelong friend Tom Maubant. Observing the situation, Johann Zarco was even more motivated to hold on to his second place with very worn tires.
With more than a second and a half lead, he gave everything to resist the approaching riders behind him, undoubtedly spurred by his historic victory at home. In the final meters, the Cannes native held off Marc Marquez to finish second! An exceptional result that allowed him to take the 4th place in the world championship.
