Fall in Australia, World Cup lead gone: says Fabio Quartararo

(Motorsport-Total.com) – At the Australian Grand Prix, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) lost the championship lead to Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati). For the second time in a row, the reigning MotoGP World Champion collected no points.

In the rain in Thailand he finished 17th outside the World Championship points. Now Quartararo retired to Phillip Island after a fall. The competition was tough from the start. After the first round, the Frenchman was still in fifth place in the leading group.

Then, on lap four, Quartararo braked incorrectly at Jack Miller Corner (Turn 4) and dropped to 22nd. His race ended in eleventh place. Quartararo crashed in the Southern Loop (Turn 2) and retired. He was ranked 15th then.

“Difficult,” says Quartararo on ‘Canal +’. “It was tough going into this race. It’s not easy to get the rear tire up to temperature – especially at Turn 2 when I passed Bagnaya.”

“Then I made a mistake in Turn 4. Then I tried to get back in front. I passed some riders and attacked a little too much. I braked in the same place but came out of Turn 1 a little too fast. Then I made a mistake.”

“It can happen. It’s not over yet. There are still two races left. We have to focus and try to do our best.” It was Quartararo’s third retirement of the season and his fourth clean sheet.

A 91-point lead turned into a 14-point deficit

He topped the World Cup list since winning in Portugal. After Sachsenring, 91 points lead over Bagnaia. Quartararo now trails by 14 points. He has only been on stage once since the summer break, finishing second to Spielberg.

How does Quartararo rate his chances of defending his world title with two races to go? “It changes a lot. Now I’m going to stop thinking about the World Championship for a while. I think it’s important to enjoy these two races and have fun.”

“It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a race so much. I want to do it again. I like the track in Malaysia. I have good memories there, so we’ll try to have fun there.”

What risk can Quartararo take in Sepang and Valencia? After all, he’s now behind and doesn’t have much to lose. “It’s not about revenge. I want to enjoy it like it was at the beginning of the season and try to do my best.”

“I’m not thinking about first, second or third place. I just want to do my best. I want to win, but that’s easier said than done. I think ‘Pekko’ will be faster in Malaysia, Aleix will be faster. We have to try to make a difference.”

Equivalent to 2020?

Is the season parallel building up to 2020? At the time, Quartararo was considered a hot contender for the World Cup and led the overall rankings for a long time. But the world championship opportunity slipped through his fingers as nothing worked in the latter part of the season.

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Now Fabio Quartararo is in the hunting role Zoom in

“No, it’s different. In 2020 the problem was mental and technical. Now I feel like I’m not thinking too much mentally. I have to ride the bike, so there’s a risk of making a mistake.”

“Like I said, I like to enjoy those moments. A few races don’t have that. They’re tough moments. It’s one thing to ride alone. But we have to ride our bike in a different style than anything else. A different bike.”

“It makes the race very difficult, especially in a group. It’s hard to prepare a maneuver when we’re all together. We have to find a solution for the last two races. But that’s okay. I think it can be done. We’re still in the title fight.”