Michael Scott | October 13, 2021
Cycle News In The Paddock
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Quartararo’s Uneasy Crown
To say that Fabio Quartararo has one hand on the 2021 MotoGP World Championship understates the case. He has one arm right around it, and the other (heavily tattooed) carefully manipulating throttle and brake to make sure he doesn’t mess it up.
The 22-year-old need only finish one place ahead of his last remaining rival Pecco Bagnaia at the next round at Misano to become the first French premier-class champion in more than 70 years of grand prix history.
Put another way, in the unlikely event that the Italian Ducati rider wins all three remaining races—Misano, Algarve and Valencia—Fabio need only finish eighth at all three.
The self-styled “Devil” (El Diablo) has put on a masterfully complete display. Very well-rounded and really grown-up.
The statistics show the breadth of his talent.
He’s had front-row starts at 14 of 15 races including four poles. One miss was in Qatar, where he was on the second row instead. Thus proving over and again his prowess at setting a single fast lap when it matters.
Then there are five race wins plus five more podiums. Only once has he finished outside the top ten, when he was stricken with arm-pump at Jerez. Even his bad days have been good. This underlines his race craft, as well as an ability to see the big picture.
Consistency makes champions. The consistency he lacked last season. Proof of a new maturity. A champion knows how to win when it’s possible, but also how to put points ahead of pride.
All the while he has been relaxed and cheerful, with a reliable toothy grin that speaks volumes. Where other riders withdraw into themselves on the grid, often blotting everything out with music, Fabio prefers to chat and joke with his mechanics.
As well as maturity and vision, a champion, of course, also needs exceptional riding skill, as well.
Even his bad days have been good. This underlines his race craft, as well as an ability to see the big picture.
Quartararo has plenty. Look at the other Yamaha riders. Former teammate Vinales was so discombobulated that he went into meltdown without even finishing the season. Rossi’s year proved so problematic and his results so distant that they finally triggered retirement. Even Morbidelli, second overall last year, was up against it, before injury spoiled his chances.
Fabio has been racing since the age of four, and winning titles soon thereafter. He took two successive CEV titles (the Spanish championship—now called Junior World Championship), and was drafted into GP racing aged just 15: the GP Commission changed the rules to allow him in underage.
Much was expected. Fabio, a couple of first-year podiums notwithstanding, failed to shine—partly through injury, partly incomprehensibly. Up from Moto3 to Moto2 in 2017, he achieved just a single win in his second year.
But it was enough, along with a dearth of other talent, to convince Yamaha and the all-new satellite Petronas team to slot him into MotoGP for 2019. The choice was something of a surprise, but their faith was handsomely vindicated. Fabio took to the big bike at once, scoring seven rookie podiums and mounting several impressive, if ultimately unsuccessful, challenges to Marquez.
The start of 2020 promised even more, but after winning the first two races, Fabio went off the boil, badly, his challenge undermined by a string of erratic performances and disheartened responses. He dropped to eighth overall.
Sessions with a sports psychiatrist over the winter addressed this erratic temperament; another leap of faith saw him promoted to the factory team. And another obvious vindication.
There remains just one burning question: Is Fabio the herald of a new era of youthful domination? Or is it just a continuation of the enforced interregnum, while Marc Marquez regains full strength?
Sentiment prefers the former, especially since the late-blooming Bagnaia will be ready to make it at least a two-man show.
Or more. There are others to suggest that that the crown will be hard-fought next year. Rookies Martin and Bastianini are already showing precocious strength. The likes of Miller, Binder, Mir and Oliveira have masses of class. And don’t forget Vinales… Maverick on a mission on the much-improved Aprilia.
But Sunday in Texas was a humbling experience for all of them.
Marquez is still not at full physical strength—the after-effects of his broken right arm lingering on cruelly.
The same is true of his Honda RC213V, with development stalled in his absence. The others riding the once-dominant V4 in Texas once again proved the point: Nakagami fast but crashed, Espargaro and Alex Marquez a distant tenth and 12th. But the six-time MotoGP champion was peerless. Incomparable. Unbeatable. Again.
When the racing starts next year, probable defending champion Quartararo will not be the man to beat. It will once again be Marquez. Just like every other year from 2013 through until his injury at the start of 2020.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. CN
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