After five years away, the Brno circuit did not spare Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco. Despite good qualifications, the Nice-native suffered from the lack of performance of his Yamaha, never able to launch an attack. Johann Zarco struggled throughout the weekend with the soft tire and kept dropping in the rankings.
This MotoGP weekend in Brno started well for Fabio Quartararo, after securing third place during Saturday morning’s qualifications. Even though he was slightly hindered in his second run, the Frenchman managed to maximize his performance to secure a front-row start for the Grand Prix. For Johann Zarco, the qualifying session was more problematic. The Honda rider crashed on his final attack lap, finishing the session in ninth place, a third-row start alongside Pedro Acosta and Alex Marquez.
On Saturday, ten laps of sprint race. And a mixed start for our French riders. Fabio Quartararo lost third place at the start of the second lap to Pedro Acosta, and Johann Zarco, after gaining a few places, fell back to ninth, his starting position.
Even worse, Fabio Quartararo continued to drop down the ranks until the end of the race. Starting third, he finished fifth. The Frenchman endured the sprint without any hope of climbing back up. However, the Yamaha rider remained positive at the finish. “I am satisfied with my sprint race. I had many competitors around me and was able to compare our package with theirs today. We will try to analyze today’s data and tire temperature to see where we can make some adjustments for tomorrow. I’m approaching the race with an open mind,” the Frenchman motivated himself for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
As for Johann Zarco, he eventually managed to climb a few positions, finishing in eighth place. “I felt that with this soft tire, there was a chance to fight in the Sprint. I wanted to score some points. I hoped to overtake more riders, but I couldn’t. It was too complicated. But I am still happy to have stayed with this group that was almost fighting for the podium,” said the Frenchman.
The Sunday Grand Prix
For Fabio Quartararo, the start was mixed. In the early laps of the race, he had no choice but to yield to the speed of Marco Bezzecchi. He continued to slide down the ranking, powerless and lacking performance with his Yamaha.
The rest of the Grand Prix went better for the Nice-native, who managed to find his rhythm in the pack. He held the sixth place, notably against Jorge Martin on the Aprilia. Fabio Quartararo even achieved his best race lap two laps before the finish. However, nothing changed in these final laps. He finished sixth, after a complicated race, with no opportunities. “We always struggle in the first five laps; that’s where we try to improve. Then the pace we had during the race is the pace we have. We know that the other brands have a slight advantage in grip and power. I think we had a fairly decent race. I’m happy to go on vacation. Honestly, it was a very long first part of the season,” said Fabio Quartararo.
On Johann Zarco‘s side, the start was very complicated. Starting with the softest possible tires, despite the track heat nearing 47 degrees, the gamble did not pay off. The Frenchman on the Honda lost places, dropping to tenth position after two laps. The middle of the race was no better for Johann Zarco, who continued to fall in the rankings. Moreover, his soft tires kept deteriorating sharply. Johann Zarco finally finished thirteenth, after a frustrating Grand Prix.
Next appointment in mid-August, for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Now it’s time for a three-week summer break for the riders.
