Fabio Quartararo Wins 2021 MotoGP World Championship!

At the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna held at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the ENEOS-sponsored Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team achieved championship glory when rider Fabio Quartararo’s fourth place finish earned him the 2021 MotoGP World Championship crown!

El Diablo accomplished this feat during his first year with the Factory Yamaha team, becoming the first ever French MotoGP Champion. Teammate Franco Morbidelli also had impressive pace for the first half of the race, but fatigue from his injury prevented him from being able to defend fifth, finishing the race in 14th.

Quartararo may have started the race in P15, but he relentlessly pressured his competitors throughout the GP, knowing every position gained got him closer to his championship dream. Chasing Alex Rins, they both overtook Jorge Martin on their way to the front. On lap 13, Quartararo and Rins joined the group battling for fifth place. Two laps later, he passed Morbidelli and Luca Marini, and with 10 laps remaining, overtook Rins for sixth.

Riding at a fast pace, Quartararo closed in on Aleix Espargaro to take fifth before his championship rival, Francesco Bagnaia, crashed out on his Ducati. With another fall by Miguel Oliveira during the final five laps, Quartararo moved to third place, giving him a podium finish while securing his championship title. However, Enea Bastianini put a move on Quartararo on the final lap, dropping him to fourth. And while the podium was gone, the championship wasn’t!

“I still can’t believe it, but it feels so good!” said Quartararo. “This wasn’t an easy race, and while a podium finish is always the target, the front tire was in bad shape by the end. But that doesn’t matter: I could’ve finished last and the result would’ve been the same. I’m a World Champion!”

Morbidelli had a good start from P6, defending his position well in the opening lap. With Jack Miller crashing out on lap 4, he moved into the top 5 and shifted his attention to maintaining a steady pace despite his knee injury. With 17 laps remaining, Espargaro put the pressure on and passed him a lap later. The leg fatigue made it difficult to hold his position, so he gradually dropped to 14th place.

“Overall we improved a lot during this race,” Morbidelli said. “The bike feels better, and I was able to ride faster until midway when I couldn’t keep up the pace. I had to slow down and cruise the second half, but the progress is good. Congratulations to Fabio, who was really on-point this season — he deserves this championship!”

Quartararo wins the 2021 MotoGP World Championship title with 267 points and a 65-point lead with two rounds remaining. Morbidelli scored his first points after returning from injury, now with 42 points but still in 17th place. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP takes the lead in the team standings with 364 points, and Yamaha remains second in the manufacturer standings with 295 points.

NEXT RACE

Quartararo and Morbidelli will be back in action from November 5-7, 2021 for the Grande Prémio do Algarve at the Algarve International Circuit..