The ninth MotoGP weekend took place at the Mugello circuit. Complicated results for our two Maralpins, and a growing championship gap for Marc Márquez.
Another victory for Marc Márquez this season, ahead of his brother and Fabio Di Giannantonio. The championship gap is starting to widen significantly and our French riders are well absent. Ongoing major rhythm issues for Fabio Quartararo, and considerable bad luck for Johann Zarco this weekend, here is everything you need to know about their race at Mugello.
More Fear than Harm
The weekend could have started dramatically for Fabio Quartararo. The first free practice session placed him sixth, promising a fairly good weekend. However, during practice, he crashed and injured his shoulder. Determined to do his best, he got back on his bike and placed fifth. He miraculously made it to Q2, despite his injured shoulder. Doctors declared him fit to continue after the session. In free practice 2, he made the third best time. Finally, in qualifying, the rider from Nice managed to get the first time of the session. Unfortunately, others improved after him, but he held onto the fourth time, placing him in that position for the two races.
Very good start in the sprint race for Fabio Quartararo who found himself in third place. However, during braking, he lost traction on the rear of his bike and missed the line in the corner. Maverick Viñales took a bit too wide, which caused some riders to make mistakes and allowed the rider from Nice to reclaim that podium. He couldn’t resist Marc Márquez in the second sector and thus dropped to fourth. Maverick Viñales also touched his rear wheel, but with no consequences. The KTM rider overtook him in the fifth lap, making Fabio Quartararo threatened by the two VR46 riders behind him. They overtook him in the sixth lap. The Frenchman was thus seventh. With tires wearing very quickly on the Yamaha, Marco Bezzecchi had the opportunity to pass him and seized it. Then it was Raúl Fernández’s turn in the following lap. A battle with Fermin Aldeguer unfolded during the final lap with a fine crossover at the first corner. The Frenchman had no more rhythm and lost that battle, finishing the race in tenth place. He reassured about his health condition: “today’s performance is not due to my shoulder. We have a problem with the bike that only occurs during the race. We are better but we still need to improve.”
He had a good start in the long race but couldn’t maintain that fourth place on the straight before the first corner. Franco Morbidelli overtook him, putting the rider from Nice in fifth. With the ongoing rhythm problem, the starting straight was problematic for the French rider, who lost a lot, ending up eighth by the fourth lap. He lost another place to Pedro Acosta and Raúl Fernández. Maverick Viñales crashed due to Franco Morbidelli and gave P9 back to Fabio Quartararo. Brad Binder overtook the Frenchman again, leaving him tenth until the last four laps where Ogura and Mir managed to pass. He finished in fourteenth place, after being overtaken by two riders just before the finish line.
A Curse at Mugello
It was another very difficult weekend for Johann Zarco. He was tenth in free practice 1. Practicing was even more complicated as he unfortunately placed only seventeenth and had to go through Q1. It was no better in free practice 2 as he placed eighteenth, likely trying different settings than those initially planned. It didn’t really work as he made only the fourth time in Q1, which didn’t advance him to Q2. He started fourteenth for both races.
The sprint race is one to forget for the rider from Cannes. After a fairly average start, he didn’t make it past the first corner. Indeed, Brad Binder, in his crash following a contact with Fabio Di Giannantonio, unfortunately took the LCR Honda rider with him. A stroke of bad luck that forced him to abandon.
A fairly average start for Johann Zarco who lost a position at the start. However, he managed to reclaim it before the end of the first lap. He even overtook Raúl Fernández and Alex Rins, taking the twelfth position. He continued his climb by taking the eleventh place. He fell in the following lap, fortunately without consequences, ending his weekend with a double retirement.
