Quartararo Victorious Again In 2021 Italian MotoGP

The ENEOS-sponsored Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team is back to its winning ways, with Fabio Quartararo taking victory at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. It’s the team’s fourth win of the 2021 season and the Frenchman’s first win since his recent arm pump surgery. Teammate Maverick Viñales secured eighth place during an emotional and physically demanding Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley.

The Italian GP was marred by the tragic death of Jason Dupasquier during the Moto3 qualification session. Despite the loss of his friend, Quartararo was unstoppable throughout qualifying and the race, with the win dedicated to his late friend.

After an emotional minute of silence for Jason before the race, a new launch device helped Fabio get a lightning-fast start on his Yamaha. With the speed of the Ducati teams, Quartararo slotted into second behind Francesco Bagnaia, who crashed out on lap 2. This then triggered a tug of war with Johann Zarco for the majority of the race.

With 17 laps remaining, Quartararo put the hammer down, gaining a gap of more than 1sec between him and Zarco, and at one point had a four second advantage. The remainder of the race was he would ride alone and emotional, taking the win by 2.592sec.

“It was difficult to stay focused when all I could think about was Jason [Dupasquier],” said an emotional Quartararo. “Ultimately, all the riders rode for him, but I’m extremely pleased with the results, especially with the new holeshot device.”

Viñales had a difficult start from 13th on the grid, but was able to move up to 12th after riders crashed out during the opening laps. Eager for a top 10 finish, he increased his pace, fighting many riders until he ultimately wore out his medium compound tires, and was unable to overcome the 4sec gap to ninth place. With two late crashes, Viñales finished eighth, 17.2sec behind Quartararo.

“Even though the bike felt good during practice, I struggled during the race,” said Viñales. “With the medium tires, I couldn’t turn or make any big improvements. It was very emotional riding with Dupasquier on our minds, and I send my condolences to his family, friends and team.”

Quartararo extended his championship lead to 24 points and now has 105 points in total. Viñales is in sixth with 64 points. Yamaha returns to first in the manufacturer’s standings with 132 points, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP remains in first with 169 points for team standings.

NEXT RACE

Team Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP heads to Catalunya for the Spanish GP on June 4-6, 2021 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.