Back in Spain (Jerez), on the land of his beginnings, the world championship leader, Fabio Quartararo, set out in pursuit of his third consecutive victory this season. A win that seemed within reach before he encountered a mechanical problem.
After securing the 12th pole position of his MotoGP career, the fourth on the Andalusian circuit across all categories, the Nice native was eager to capitalize on this good result in the race.
Despite a mixed start (-3 places), the young French rider quickly took the lead of the race (4th lap) by setting circuit records. This aggressive strategy paid off as, a little before the mid-race, Quartararo had a 1.4-second lead over Australian Jack Miller, who started third, and nearly 4 seconds over his former teammate Franco Morbidelli (2nd on the grid).
Behind, the other official Yamaha with Maverick Viñales remained stuck in the pack in 8th position, just ahead of the Cannes native Johann Zarco.
Arm problem for Quartararo
Just when the victory seemed well underway, eleven laps before the finish line, Fabio suddenly lost all his race pace. In one lap, the Nice native lost nearly two seconds due to a small error caused by a physical problem with his forearm.
In distress, the laps went by, but there was nothing to be done for the world championship leader struggling with his machine. Five laps before the end, he even fell out of the top 10, simultaneously losing the top spot in the championship standings to Pecco Bagnaia, who was then 2nd in the GP.
Disappointment, therefore, for our local rider who finished the race in 13th position, far behind Australian Jack Miller who triumphed on his Ducati. Let’s hope this physical issue, resembling compartment syndrome, for which he had surgery two years ago, doesn’t hamper him for the rest of the season.
Especially since the next Grand Prix will take place in front of his home crowd at Le Mans in two weeks (May 14-16).
