Back on the track where they shone last year, Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco harbored great ambitions at home for the French Grand Prix.
The fifth MotoGP weekend in France, on the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans, had a special flavor. A land of Fabio Quartararo’s exploits on pole and Johann Zarco’s victory last year, the two Maralpin riders were eager to have a great weekend in front of a crowd that came specifically to encourage them. Having gone through Q1, Fabio Quartararo delivered a superb qualifying performance, making it to Q2 and finishing 6th on the starting grid. Johann Zarco, directly qualified for Q2, settled for 11th position. Two good starting positions for the races that promised great things.
At the start of the 13-lap sprint race, Fabio Quartararo chose to go around the outside in the first corner. A good choice, as the Nice native came out of the first sequences of the Bugatti circuit in 4th position. Capable of matching the pace of the leaders, ‘El Diablo’ seemed comfortable with his machine for the first time this season. Fighting with Pedro Acosta, Fabio Quartararo defended his position for nearly five laps, he resisted before giving in at the connector corner, without seeing his pace collapse. Under pressure in the final part of the race against defending world champions Marc Márquez and 2020 champion Joan Mir, the Frenchman held firm to keep fifth place at the finish. “It’s a very positive day. We went from a catastrophic Friday to a very, very good Saturday. We managed to regain good feelings and I think today we had a very good qualifying session and also in the sprint race,” Fabio Quartararo said at the finish. “It’s the first time I’ve had fun in a race this season, where I’m managing a little bit to… I won’t say fight, but at least to stay with the other riders. We know exactly where we’re losing ground, but at least I’m able to push at 100% and feel at the limit.”
Johann Zarco, with a more aggressive tire choice, on soft compounds, also gained two positions at the start to find himself in 9th. Unfortunately, this choice would not pay off for the Cannes native, who dropped down after the first third of the race. Clearly hampered by a technical issue, he finished the sprint race in 10th place. At the finish, feelings were mixed in the Honda LCR garage: “I think I encountered a small technical problem because vibrations appeared very quickly after one lap, something that hadn’t happened for many races. I made many mistakes, lost positions and couldn’t maintain a correct pace.”
All hopes were allowed for the Azuréens this Sunday in the Grand Prix, especially since weather conditions could potentially be more changeable.
Another blistering start for Fabio Quartararo
For the Grand Prix this Sunday, the Azuréens had each gained a position before the start with Marc Márquez’s withdrawal. Like the day before, Fabio Quartararo delivered a great start by avoiding handlebar clashes at the first corner, which allowed him to take 2nd position at the end of the first lap. Johann Zarco also made a good start, but found himself jostled at the end of the first of 27 laps, causing him to lose a few positions. Back in 15th place, the Cannes rider began a strong comeback to find himself behind Luca Marini’s official Honda in 13th position.
On Yamaha’s side, Fabio Quartararo, slightly dropped by the race leader, saw Pedro Acosta find the gap quickly, just like the day before. A lesser evil for the Nice rider, who had a driver to follow in front of him to try to maintain the best possible pace. But that’s the thing, the shortcomings of his machine didn’t allow him to resist for long. After five laps, he dropped out of the provisional podium. With his soft tire up front, it was difficult to maintain pace throughout the Grand Prix. ‘El Diablo’ continued to lose positions despite a rather acceptable pace. After the first third of the race, Fabio Quartararo found himself 6th, in a group fighting for fourth place.
On the other hand, with number 5, things didn’t seem to be working out like last year. Blocked by Luca Marini’s official Honda, Johann Zarco couldn’t find a solution. While the French Grand Prix crowd performed a rain dance hoping to relive last year’s emotions, the weather remained fair.
No miracle then this weekend for the Azuréens, who finished this French Grand Prix weekend in 6th place for Fabio Quartararo, his best result of the season, and 11th for Johann Zarco. An overall result more than respectable given the start of the season, particularly at Yamaha. There’s no doubt that the 300,000 spectators present this weekend once again carried the French.
MotoGP will return next weekend in Catalonia for the Barcelona Grand Prix, with, hopefully, a similar performance for Fabio Quartararo.
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