Neil Hodgson accuses MotoGP team of forcing star into ‘overriding’ at the Americas Grand Prix

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Neil Hodgson thinks a MotoGP team are forcing their star rider to push his bike beyond its limits after their impressive showing in the Grand Prix of the Americas Sprint Race.

Glory once again this year went the way of Marc Marquez as the Spaniard achieved his third Sprint win of the season from three rounds for Ducati. The 32-year-old withstood the threat of his brother, Alex Marquez, to win from pole position with Francesco Bagnaia in third spot.

Bagnaia shot up from sixth on the grid to, briefly, challenge for the lead of the Sprint Race at the Circuit of the Americas. The Marquez brothers had the Italian covered for pace, with the 28-year-old’s issues sparking questions for Hodgson about Bagnaia’s feelings on his Ducati.

The two-time champion was not the only MotoGP rider to not look at one with his machine on Saturday, though. Hodgson also felt Fabio Quartararo was having to push his Yamaha M1 beyond its limits while the Frenchman fought to finish the Americas GP Sprint in sixth place.

Neil Hodgson spots Fabio Quartararo ‘overriding’ his Yamaha in the Americas GP Sprint

Quartararo could only qualify P11 for the Americas GP, yet ran fourth behind Bagnaia in the early laps of the Sprint after a superb start. His podium bid proved short-lived, but the 2021 champion refused to give in as Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli caught him up.

The VR46 Racing Team duo ultimately passed Quartararo to finish the Americas GP Sprint in P4 and P5. But the Yamaha rider caught Hodgson’s eye with four laps to go after he used the cutback exiting T12 to stick his nose down Morbidelli’s inside into T13 and regain fifth place.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Quartararo from net worth to career stats

Morbidelli had utilised his Ducati GP24’s superior engine to burst past Quartararo down the back straight but ran slightly deep into Turn 12. Quartararo then sensed his chance to fight back, yet Hodgson felt the 25-year-old had to push his Yamaha M1 to make the difference.

“That’s what he’s having to do,” Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (29/3, 20:16). “Overriding on the little twisty, niggly sections.”

Michael Laverty praises Fabio Quartararo for ‘making the difference’ for Yamaha at COTA

Quartararo finished the Americas GP Sprint six seconds clear of the next Yamaha rider, Jack Miller of Pramac in P14, whilst catching Hodgson’s eye ‘overriding’ his bike. It also followed the 25-year-old noting Quartararo expected ‘much better’ from Yamaha’s winter upgrades.

Hodgson’s fellow TNT Sports pundit Michael Laverty also agreed that it was Quartararo who made ‘all the difference’ for Yamaha in the Americas GP Sprint this Saturday. While the M1’s performance around COTA took Laverty by surprise, only the Frenchman found its potential.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Yamaha from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

“He was on it today,” Laverty said on TNT Sports 2 (29/3, 20:39). “He was so aggressive. Any time there was any opportunity, he was straight in there. I think the Yamaha was stronger than we all expected here in Texas but it was Fabio making all the difference.”

Quartararo’s P6 finish in the Americas GP Sprint marked his and Yamaha’s best finish to any race so far this season. It eclipses his P7 finish in the Sprint Race at the Thailand Grand Prix, which only preceded a P15 finish in the main race. He also only registered P14 in Argentina.