Fabio Quartararo was proclaimed MotoGP world champion at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, on October 24, being the only rider capable of scoring points in all the races of the season held up to that moment (16). The first zero of the course for the Frenchman came, curiously, the following weekend, in Portimao, where he already ran as champion and crashed in the race for the first time all year.
That regularity was one of the keys that led him to be crowned champion, but according to Ramón Forcada , technical chief of the re-founded WithU Yamaha RNF , he prepared himself for it, even mentally seeking outside help.
Quartararo made his MotoGP debut with the Petronas SRT team, and in his second year he was in contention for the title, but mistakes and certain irregularities harmed him, to the point that at the end of the season Franco Morbidelli, his boxing partner and pupil of Forcada, finished ahead in the general.
With the move to the official Yamaha team, the Frenchman achieved the title in his first attempt. In an exclusive conversation with Forcada, Motorsport.com asked him about the El Diablo season.
Ramon Forcada, Franco Morbidelli, Petronas Yamaha SRT
“Very well, he has had a very intelligent season, controlling and finishing all the races, something that we already saw in 2020 that is very important as the championship is,” explains the Spanish coach.
“He has done what he had to do, which was to win the World Cup,” he firmly underlines.
But it is one thing to have to do it and quite another to achieve it. There are many who aspire to be champions, but only one wins in the end.
“He has understood two things, the first: how he should drive the Yamaha, and the advantage he has had is that he had not ridden any other bike before, because he came from Moto2, so he had no vices, which, for example, he did not it happens to Dovi (Andrea Dovizioso, the rider he works with now), who comes with a series of vices from another bike. Fabio has understood very well how to make the Yamaha work”, reflects Forcada.
As important as having been able to understand the driving of the M1 , Forcada points out another determining factor for Quartararo to win the title.
“Mentally he has prepared himself not to fail,” he says. “That, in the end, is the problem for many riders. If you look at the clean 2020 results (no crashes or retirements), a lot of people could have won the World Championship that year, the important thing is not to fail. Fabio has understood it and has sought external help to achieve it, which seems perfect to me. You add all this and it gives you to be a champion”, ditch Forcada.
(Click on this link or on the image to see the photos of Fabio Quartararo’s 2021 season in MotoGP)
