Misano high-flyer just proved he is the ‘next best’ MotoGP rider after Marc Marquez

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Michael Laverty has named the rider he thinks is the ‘next best’ rider on the MotoGP grid amid Marc Marquez’s total dominance of the field throughout the current campaign.

Marquez has cemented himself as one of the greatest riders to grace the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing as he inches ever closer towards a seventh MotoGP title.

No one has been able to compete with the results of the Spaniard, who has won 25 of the 30 races so far this year atop Ducati’s factory spec GP25 bike.

Yamaha unveiled their new M1 at Misano ahead of the race weekend. The Japanese constructor is hopeful that their new machinery will be able to dethrone the Italian team from their status as the most successful constructor on the grid in recent years.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend

Michael Laverty called Fabio Quartararo the ‘second best’ rider on the MotoGP grid

Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage of FP2 ahead of qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix, commentator Gavin Emmett shared his thoughts on Fabio Quartararo being classed as the second-best rider on the MotoGP grid, after Marquez.

The question was also posed to former MotoGP rider Michael Laverty, who replied, “Yeah, I agreed last night.

“When you see what he’s been able to pull out of the bag in comparison to other Yamaha riders, Jack Miller, Miguel Oliveira, Alex Rins: Fabio is the standout.

“Points in the championship don’t say that he’s the second best person in the championship, but of the performances: the pole positions, the win in Silverstone, which arguably he earned, you’ve got to say he’s the next best.”

Quartararo instantly backed up Laverty’s comments just moments before as he claimed the third spot on the grid during qualifying, just six thousandths off Alex Marquez in second. Marco Bezzecchi took pole position at Misano, with championship protagonist Marquez starting from fourth.

The result marks the Frenchman’s second consecutive front row start in MotoGP, and eighth of the year during a season where he has regularly overachieved atop sub-optimal Yamaha machinery.

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

Fabio Quartararo is on the radar of multiple MotoGP teams amid Yamaha uncertainty

Yamaha will need to hope that the M1 is the answer to Quartararo’s frustrations with their current model, which features an inline-four layout.

Augusto Fernandez is currently competing at the San Marino Grand Prix as a wildcard rider atop the new version of the M1, qualifying 22nd with a time 1.7s off Bezzecchi’s benchmark.

Ducati have been told to go ‘all-out’ for Quartararo in next year’s MotoGP rider market due to the Frenchman voicing his concerns over the performance of the M1 in 2025.

The front-running Italian constructor may face some competition for the 2021 world champion’s signature, however.

Honda is also targeting Quartararo after they missed out on securing the talent of Jorge Martin during his contract dispute with Aprilia earlier in the season.