In Thailand, on a track conducive to overtaking, Fabio Quartararo hoped to have a good weekend.
Qualifying went well for the Nice-born rider. By reaching Q2, Fabio Quartararo could hope for a good position on the starting grid. However, the performance fell short of expectations.
Only 10th at the start of the sprint race, “El Diablo” finds himself in the thick of the pack. Despite a good start, he runs wide at the first corner and loses a position to Johann Zarco. The Yamaha rider ends up battling with the world championship leader, Francesco Bagnaia. In a small group fighting for 7th place, the Nice-born rider is not able to attempt a pass. He eventually gets overtaken halfway through the race by Jack Miller, who had come from quite a distance back. Against the Australian, the Frenchman is unable to maintain his advantage and finishes 11th in the sprint.
A disappointment he shared with Canal + after the race. “I expected to achieve a better result. This is especially one of the first times I felt I could go much faster at the start of the race. Simply put, we can’t overtake. When I passed Jack, I really wanted to push to the maximum but I was making mistakes. The only place we can recover, unfortunately, is during braking. We are still far behind.” The conclusion is definitive: “It’s not that I’m lost, it’s that I can’t attempt an overtake, I’m coming from too far back.”
A good race pace for Fabio Quartararo
This Sunday, at the start of the long race, Fabio Quartararo makes a move on the outside during the first lap. He overtakes Maverick Vinales and Marco Bezzecchi to take 8th position at the start of the race. Ahead, the battle is intense, allowing him to stay on the tail of Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia as the day before. But the pace seems too high and the Nice-born rider makes a small error on the curbs, causing him to lose a position and contact with the leaders.
Ahead of him, riders engage in an intense struggle, allowing the leaders to pull away. A small group competing for 6th place eventually forms. The pace is slower there, allowing the Frenchman to hold on. In the final third of the race, he targets seven-time world champion Marc Marquez and manages to pass him. With clear track ahead, Fabio Quartararo maintains his pace to catch up to Aleix Espargaro and Luca Marini. He succeeds in doing so with five laps remaining. Struggling ahead, the Italian is overtaken by Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha. The Nice-born rider ultimately finishes 5th after Aleix Espargaro’s demotion post-race (due to low tire pressure) and with the satisfaction of having made a significant recovery.
“It was quite a difficult race,” shared the Maralpin at the end of the race. “We struggled with the new tires. At the end of the race, it’s hard to make a difference with worn tires. I think we can be happy with this race today. I think we’re missing a few little details to fight for better positions.”
The next MotoGP event is in Malaysia in 15 days.
