Assen (Netherlands) (AFP)

If it allowed Fabio Quartararo to carve out a boss costume, the first half of the MotoGP season, reached on Sunday with a new victory for the Frenchman in the Netherlands, also poses a few questions.

In Assen, in front of 11,500 spectators, the facetious Quartararo delivered two demonstrations.

The first by winning for the 4th time in 2021 to increase its lead at the top of the world championship to 34 points.

The second by trying your hand at golf on the track.

In view of his performances, he chose his sport well!

Second on the grid behind his Yamaha teammate Maverick Vinales, the Frenchman got off to a better start and fought in the opening laps with Francesco Bagnaia's Ducati, before taking the lead on lap 7 to win solo.

A "difficult" race, mainly because of a pain in the right triceps, but which allows him to reaffirm his ambitions before five weeks of truce.

"The goal was to win and we succeeded," said the 22-year-old driver.

"Last year, I missed the opportunity to fight for the title to the end, he recalls. But I learned and I feel better mentally in the garage and on my bike. . My mind and my goals are clearer. "

With nine races behind him and ten to come (plus one without a date), Quartararo does not want to believe that the game is over and describes a competition that is still "very open".

- Zarco: "to be a real candidate for the title" -

Until then, unique in history, its first rival is also French.

Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac) finished “happy” with his 4th place after a “complicated” race and with his 2nd position in the championship with 13 points ahead of Bagnaia.

"I hope to come back stronger in the second half of the season to be a real contender for the title," he announced.

Third Sunday and now 4th among the drivers, the reigning champion Joan Mir (Suzuki) also welcomes a podium "motivating to try to do better" on the restart.

His goal: to improve his bike and his performance in qualifying so as not to have to play everything in the race every time.

Portuguese Miguel Oliveira (KTM), who is going on vacation after four Top 5s, is also on the rise.

On the contrary, if Vinales dominated free practice and qualifying in the Netherlands and took 2nd place in the race, this podium is his first since his victory in Qatar in the inaugural round of 2021. In the meantime, the Spaniard had only retreated, until one last place in Germany last week.

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Several Spanish media are announcing that he is leaving for Aprilia, while his contract with Yamaha also covers 2022. "These rumors are completely false", denied the Spaniard on Sunday, without guaranteeing that he would not change creamery.

"I have to find something that gives me the ability to express my full potential," he slips.

- Stop or for Rossi?

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The future of Valentino Rossi (Yamaha-SRT), who started 12th in Assen but missed his start and fell heavily on lap 8, is not certain.

After a disappointing first half of the season, the 42-year-old Italian, only 19th among pilots, must decide whether to retire or continue an extra season next year.

The second option will be "complicated", he repeated several times to the press on Thursday.

"As I said, I will make my decision in the coming weeks and I will keep you posted," he gave an appointment on Sunday.

On the other hand, we can be reassured for Marc Marquez (Honda), who missed the entire 2020 season and the start of 2021 after breaking his right arm.

Gradually, the six-time MotoGP world champion regains his level.

His victory in Germany last week did him a lot of good mentally, but it was on a particular circuit, with few of those right-hand turns that put him in trouble.

In Assen, where he expected to suffer, the Spaniard climbed from 20th position on the grid to 7th place final.

"I'm proud of my performance. We're finishing the first part of the season in a good way," he said.

"Now I need ten days or two weeks of rest, more mentally than physically, because between my different surgeries, it's been two years since I took a vacation."

Then, it will be time to get back on the bike to prepare for two races on the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg in Austria (a circuit befitting the Ducati) on August 8 and 15 in front of full grandstands ... finally!

© 2021 AFP