Fabio Quartararo's Saturday started admirably well, in Barcelona, in MotoGP. Not qualified directly for Q2, the Frenchman brilliantly won his ticket at the end of Q1. Before, at the cost of a splendid lap, signing an unexpected tenth time. Time that even Yamaha wasn't expecting…
MotoGP: Fabio, a good start and then, a lack of rhythm
Unfortunately, in the race, things did not go ideally. After a very good start, the Frenchman gradually lost several places, without really being able to fight. So much so that under the checkered flag, he was in tenth place. That is, just behind the last rider to score a point, Brad Binder (KTM) in this case.
“We're not where we want to be yet, but we made some progress today. Fabio did a great job in qualifying. The level in Q1 was high, but he managed to secure a place in the top 2 and advance to Q2. This allowed him to take tenth place on the grid, which we did not expect yesterday. In the Sprint, Fabio had a good first lap and faced his rivals. He had the advantage in the twisty sections but lost out on the main straight, ultimately allowing him to finish in tenth place. But he was 0.7 seconds behind the driver who finished sixth, so that's positive. Álex lost ground in the first sector of the first lap due to Pedro Acosta's careening, which put Álex behind. He managed to gain positions and fight with other drivers throughout this short race, and we can use today's data to prepare for tomorrow. We only have one race left. It's the season finale, and we have nothing to lose!” Massimo Meregalli
“We had the pace to be faster, but we were clearly stuck. I think our potential was quite good, but we were lacking in some areas, so we couldn't fight with our rivals, even though we were close. The overtake I made on Bezzecchi, for example, was not a typical overtake. I took a lot of risks, so it’s not pure overachievement. We are working on speed and grip for tomorrow because this track is really demanding in these two aspects.” says Fabio Quartararo. Who will still have a good card to play this afternoon, if he makes as good a jump as yesterday, from his tenth place on the starting grid.
As for Alex Rins, it was the incident between Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta which marked his downfall. The Spaniard having lost several places by avoiding the fairing of the KTM, in distress on the track, after contact between the two compatriots.
“It was a tough sprint. I found myself in the fairing of Acosta then I came back in last position. So, given that I started from afar, my Sprint race was not bad: I recovered six positions. I felt pretty strong, but when I tried to pass Marini my tires were gone. I was ahead of him for a lap, but then I went straight into turn 1, locking out the front. I couldn't do more. Overall we are struggling, but I am finding the way. I am still able to ride low 1'40 and high 1'39. So with a little luck in the first lap and a good start I can get a good result.”, concludes Alex Rins.
Article published on 11/17/2024 at 7:20 a.m.
