Quartararo Faces Uphill Battle at Phillip Island: Aiming for Redemption in MotoGP’s Tricky Terrain

Fabio Quartararo observes, "The season seems to be accelerating rapidly."

Fabio Quartararo's highest achievement in MotoGP so far is finishing 14th at Phillip Island.

Regarding performance, Phillip Island has proven to be a challenging location on the 2021 MotoGP schedule for world champion Fabio Quartararo.

In the previous year, finishing 14th in the postponed Saturday Grand Prix marked the inaugural occasion the Monster Yamaha competitor successfully completed a race in the top division, having previously encountered crashes in the 2019 (colliding with Petrucci at the start of the race) and 2022 Australian competitions.

Despite securing impressive qualifying positions of second and fifth for the two 'DNF' races, the M1 racer found himself starting from 17th place last season, while his teammate Franco Morbidelli was positioned even further back in 20th place.

Prior to his ascent into MotoGP, the rider from France achieved his highest finish at Phillip Island with a tenth place in both the Moto2 and Moto3 categories.

Therefore, it may not be the best setting for Quartararo to overcome his previous struggles with insufficient rear traction (and a fuel shortage) that resulted in him finishing far behind in twelfth place at the Motegi Sprint and Grand Prix races, trailing the victor by more than a second per lap.

Yet, Australia has demonstrated a 'neutral' stance towards the current winning manufacturers.

In recent Phillip Island competitions, leadership has rotated among major motorcycle brands, with Yamaha (Maverick Vinales, 2018), Honda (Marc Marquez, 2019), Suzuki (Alex Rins, 2022), and Ducati (Johann Zarco, 2023) each securing victories over the past four events.

"Following the Grand Prix in Japan, I took a trip to Bali to soak up some sunshine, unwind, and also to prepare for the upcoming races. I chose to remain in a comparable time zone to reduce jet lag, as maintaining peak physical condition is crucial during triple headers," Quartararo remarked, having achieved his season's top performance of seventh place in the three races leading up to Japan.

"The time is swiftly passing this season: with just four Grand Prix races remaining, there's still a significant amount of work ahead."

"We're looking forward to having a regular and fully scheduled race weekend here in Australia on this occasion, especially since the Australian fans are known for creating a vibrant atmosphere."

Quartararo currently holds the 13th position in the global championship, trailing his previous season's standing by three ranks and 48 points, with four rounds remaining.

Nonetheless, he has a 50-point lead over the leading Honda competitor, Zarco.

Rins, a team member and previous victor at Phillip Island, had to sit out last year's race while recovering from injuries to his leg. He has achieved three podium finishes at this coastal circuit.

"Following a week-long hiatus, we're prepared to hit the ground running. The Phillip Island Circuit holds great memories for me and aligns perfectly with my style, so we'll see what's possible," Rins expressed, clearly disappointed about ending up in 16th place, just ahead of wild-card entry Remy Gardner, in Japan.

"Definitely, there's a significant amount of effort ahead of us. We're optimistic about having favorable weather, allowing us to concentrate on improving the motorcycle."

Rins, sidelined for two mid-season events because of injuries, currently holds the 19th spot in the global championship.

Explore Further

Sign up for our MotoGP Newsletter

Stay updated with the newest MotoGP developments, behind-the-scenes exclusives, in-depth interviews, and special offers delivered straight to your email.

For further details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Recent Updates

Additional Stories

Site Navigation

CrashNet

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Reproducing the content, whether it's the text, photos, or illustrations, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.