In less than a month, a new MotoGP course will kick off and Fabio Quartararo will embark on the journey towards the battle for his second title, thus saying goodbye to 2021, the year that made him rise to the top of the drawer of honor.
After not going unnoticed in his first season in the queen category and taking the title of rookie of the year, Quartararo became in 2021 the first Frenchman in history to achieve a world crown, something that will remain indelible in the mind of ‘ El Devil’ .
“For a French driver to be proclaimed world champion is something that brings new spectators and more fans to the championship, and what is certain is that I will always be the first Frenchman in history to achieve it,” said the French driver in ‘ Quartararo, a date with destiny’ the new DAZN documentary that reviews the Frenchman’s most critical moments in his battle for the title and which has been joined by guests such as Massimo Meregalli, Thomas Maubant and Diego Gubellini.
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was the scene where the #20 number inscribed his name in gold letters in the motorcycling history book. There, Fabio Quartararo was proclaimed MotoGP World Champion in a race characterized by tension and uncertainty.
Describing the moment he realized he was champion, he explained: “In a split second, I looked ahead and saw a bike in the gravel and thought, ‘Jack crashed in the first few corners so he has to to be Pecco’. So I looked at the TV monitors again and said: ‘Now I am world champion.’ And I didn’t even know how to drive anymore.”
“I was begging for the checkered flag to wave already. When I crossed the finish line, more than the good moments went through my mind, the worst moments that I had lived in the past and I was aware that I was world champion. It was a wonderful feeling “recalls the Frenchman.
(Click here to see the DAZN documentary: ‘Quartararo, an appointment with destiny’)
“And the time came for that incredible celebration. I think I will have seen that celebration about 50 times and I will keep it with me forever. In 2016, especially my mother, she cried with sorrow. On this occasion, we all cried with joy. If today I am here, it’s because they were with me since I was little. The celebration with the people I love the most was the best moment for me. The 15 hours that followed the checkered flag were dizzying,” he added.
Fabio’s season began in Losail , a date in which he made his debut as a weapon to beat for an official team after the incorporation of Valentino Rossi in the Petronas team, a satellite structure of the Yamaha Factory Racing factory.
“I was taking Valentino’s place and it was even more stressful looking at all the people around me, with all the pressure that comes with riding Valentino’s bike. In that race I found myself riding as if it were my first time”.
“When I won at Portimao, which in 2020 had been the worst circuit for us, I did it with impressive race pace and I said to myself: ‘This is my year.
During the documentary, available to all users on DAZN , Fabio Quartararo also reviews the sanction received at the Catalan Grand Prix, the controversial event where the Frenchman rolled with his overalls open and without any chest protection.
“There was someone who went to the Race Direction to complain because my suit was open, so they imposed an additional 3-second penalty on me. I could have been very angry, but I laughed it off and thought: ‘This is not going for me to stop”. Fabio recalled in Quartararo, an appointment with destiny .
Photo by: Dorna
Photo by: Yamaha
Photo by: Yamaha
Photo by: Yamaha
Photo by: Yamaha
Photo by: Yamaha
Photo by: MotoGP
