Portimao (Portugal) (AFP)
Two victories in a row and here he is at the helm of the world championship after three races: the French Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) bravely displayed in Portugal his ambitions for the MotoGP title this season in Portugal on Sunday.
Thanks to his solo success in Portimao, with nearly 5 seconds ahead of the Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and the Spaniard Joan Mir (Suzuki), Quartararo is 15 points ahead of Bagnaia at the top of the drivers' standings. .
After an almost unchallenged domination of Marc Marquez (Honda) since 2013, the doors of success opened when the Spaniard broke his arm in the first round of 2020.
Nine months later, the six-time MotoGP world champion finally returned to the track this weekend after three operations.
Unsurprisingly, he finished exhausted but can be satisfied with his performance, with 6th place on the grid and 7th in the race.
The other Frenchman, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac), the previous driver's leader, fell on lap 20 as he claimed the podium after leading the start of the race.
As a result, he fell back to 4th place in the world, 21 points behind his compatriot.
Despite a start from pole position worse than his opponents, Quartararo, 6th at the end of the first lap, did not give up as he tended to do last year.
He came back up to take the lead on lap 9 of 25.
He then widened the gap to win with 4 sec 809/1000 ahead of Bagnaia, also benefiting from the fall of his most threatening rival, the Spaniard Alex Rins (Suzuki), on the 19th lap.
Among the very best, Rins is not the only one to have disappointed.
The Spaniard Maverick Vinales (Yamaha), winner of the first round of the season, is only 11th after a failed start.
- "In full confidence" -
Australian Jack Miller (Ducati) and Italian Valentino Rossi, struggling since the start of the year and joining Yamaha-SRT, have also fallen.
"It's good to be back!", Rejoiced the winner.
"I was in full confidence from Qatar (where he won 15 days ago, editor's note). I was able to bring this confidence back with me. I felt just as good and now we know what it is must do to feel strong. "
Portimao was a test for him: he was particularly in difficulty there last year, affected by his failure to conquer the title and a recalcitrant motorcycle.
Verdict: Quaratararo is "mentally stronger" and Yamaha has "progressed".
The table is sketched for the rest.
Tuesday, "El Diablo" will celebrate his success at the same time as his 22 years.
Then, on May 2, he will get back on his motorbike in Jerez, Spain.
"One of (his) favorite races", won twice last year!
We will also salute the performance of Bagnaia, who climbed back from 11th place on the grid after being deprived of pole for having set his best time under the yellow flag in qualifying.
"The feeling was fantastic on the bike," commented the one who was aiming for a Top 5. "And this Top 3 in the championship is really important!"
Spaniard Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac), injured in his right hand and ankle in a heavy crash on Saturday, was forfeited and will undergo surgery in Barcelona in the coming days.
In Moto3, the impressive 16-year-old Spanish rookie Pedro Acosta (KTM) claimed his second straight victory and extended his lead in the championship to 31 lengths.
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