Quartararo Takes Second at 2022 Italian MotoGP

The ENEOS-sponsored Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team fought hard at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, with reigning champ Fabio Quartararo mounting a determined effort to secure a second place finish and extend his championship points lead. Teammate Franco Morbidelli also battled hard at his home race, climbing the ranks to finish the race in 17th.

Starting from P6 behind five Ducati riders, El Diablo had a very strong start, storming the first corners side-by-side with the front row, gaining a position to complete his first lap in fifth. He confidently passed several riders to move into second place on lap 4.

The Frenchman utilized his YZR-M1 to its full capabilities, navigating the twists and turns of Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello beautifully and took it wide on the track’s straights. Quartararo was hard on the rear tire, but stuck with the leading pair during the final stages.

On lap 11, he launched an attack on Marco Bezzecchi to regain second position, chasing Francesco Bagnaia while keeping Bezzecchi and Luca Marini at bay. Fighting those two made it more difficult to close the gap to first and he crossed the finish line second, 0.635sec from first.

“I didn’t think a podium was possible at the start,” said Quartararo. “But this wound up being one of the best races of my career. It was a tough race, but I love riding my bike and had lots of fun, which ended with a really great result!”

Morbidelli launched from the grid in P23 and only had one way to go: forward. Getting to work quickly, he moved up five positions and settled into 18th by lap 8. He spent most of his race focusing on rhythm and fought to gain more positions, yet the gap in the final laps was too much to overcome. He ended the race in 17th, 20.296sec from first.

“Starting from the back was tough,” Morbidelli said. “Even though I wasn’t able to get into the group fighting for points, we made some improvements and we’ll continue to improve as we head to Barcelona.”

Following the Italian GP, Quartararo remains in the championship lead with 122 points; Morbidelli is 19th with 19 points. Yamaha remains second in the manufacturer standings with 122 points and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP holds third in the team standings with 141 points.

NEXT RACE

Quartararo and Morbidelli take on the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona from June 3-5, 2022.