After a week of rest, the MotoGP roars again with the arrival of the San Marino Grand Prix. The test will be held, as has been customary over recent decades, at the Misano Marco Simoncelli circuit.
Although Fabio Quartararo says he is “happy” to race in Misano, the truth is that the Frenchman has never fully understood the Adriatic track too well. In his five participations since he arrived in MotoGP, he only got on the podium twice, both times in second position. But that does not mean that Fabio has good memories of him.
And it is that it was in Misano where Quartararo was crowned, a year ago, MotoGP world champion. The Yamaha rider knew how to keep his nerve in a test in which he knew he was far from victory and waited for the error of his greatest rival, Pecco Bagnaia. The Italian, indeed, ended up crashing in the last third of the race, allowing him to seal the title with two Grand Prix in advance.
“I have great memories of winning the title here last year,” recalls the reigning world champion and also leader of the general standings, although he acknowledges that now it’s time to focus “on this season’s championship.”
His team manager, Massimo Meregalli, is also very aware of last season’s achievement. “This time we came here with much less pressure,” he admits. “This track has been important to both [Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli’s] careers in the past, and we are very motivated to do a good job again.”
Already focusing on the next round of the championship, and despite the cushion of points that separates him from Aleix Espargaró and Pecco Bagnaia, Quartararo is not confident: “We are starting the last third of the season, which is always difficult, so we have to be focused and work hard.
“I’ve been training non-stop to make sure I’m in optimal conditions”, adds the Frenchman, who lands in San Marino with the memory of the podium at the last Austrian GP, where he took second position despite being mechanically inferior .
“The Austrian race was really tough, but rewarding,” says the Yamaha rider. “Second place is great for the championship because we came out of one of our most difficult circuits with a huge lead.”
Number 20 is the leader of the general classification , with Aleix Espargaró at 32 points and Pecco Bagnaia at 44. In the Yamaha box, the latter is especially concerned, who was already seen out of contention for the title after his multiple errors in the first half of campaign.
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