Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo couldn’t convert his French Grand Prix pole into a victory in the Le Mans Sprint. But he did put up a stirring defence against Marc Marquez.
Quartararo had broken the circuit record with one of his greatest MotoGP laps in qualifying. Predictably, Ducati were too strong over a longer distance.
Marquez passed Quartararo on lap six out of 13, and then his brother Alex utilised the GP24’s superior grunt to follow him through on lap eight.
The Yamaha star went head-to-head with Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer for the final podium spot, with the two riders making contact in an intense battle. He eventually lost out and had to settle for fourth.
Quartararo will have another chance to defend pole on Sunday, even if the Sprint casts doubt on prospects. The prospect of some rain could work in El Diablo’s favour.
Neil Hodgson hails ‘classy move’ from Fabio Quartararo in Marc Marquez battle
At the start of lap six, Marquez tried to execute a move at the Dunlop chicane. However, Quartararo anticipated that the six-time MotoGP champion would run deep, and executed a textbook switch-back manoeuvre.
He swept back ahead of Marquez just before the descent into La Chapelle. While he relinquished the lead later in the lap, TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson was thrilled by his defensive riding.
MotoGP fans will relish the sight of Quartararo and Marquez going head-to-head, which has been all too rare. Yamaha aren’t yet on a level playing field with Ducati, but the 2021 world champion put up a much stronger fight here than he did in Jerez, when he went down on lap two.
“He’s setting it up, he’s going for it,” Hodgson said of Marquez during commentary. “It’s a lunge, he’s wide! Fabio’s wise, he’s going to square him back off here. Perfect!
“That was a class move from Fabio. He sensed Marc up the inside. He let him go in, go wide, but then he didn’t try and pass him straight back. He waited, and squared it back off. It’s a classy move from a classy rider.”
Fabio Quartararo just equalled three MotoGP legends at French Grand Prix
Marquez praised Quartararo after qualifying, admitting that he thought his own lap was good enough for pole. He said both riders had reached a ‘super-high level’.
No team has beaten Ducati in a Grand Prix since Maverick Vinales won for Aprilia in the Americas last Spring. It looked in the winter as if the European teams were best-placed to challenge them.
Suddenly, though, it seems Yamaha could be the team to end the streak. It would almost certainly be Quartararo of the four riders in their stable based on his eighth-tenths advantage over the next-best M1 in qualifying.
Quartararo equalled Barry Sheene, Eddie Lawson and Kenny Roberts with his 18th MotoGP pole on Saturday. It’s the first time he’s gone back-to-back since 2021.
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