Looking at today's results at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, it is easy to point out that Francesco Bagnaia's crash in the previous round at Misano proved to be a real godsend for the new champion Fabio Quartararo, who notched up his first zero of 2021. Better now than before one would say, and that’s obvious. Immediately forced to play catch-up from the third row of the grid, with the title already in his pocket, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider experienced the most complicated moment of the season, so much so that he remained stuck in rush hour traffic in the middle of the group.
“I knew that I had a great pace, I could have gone much faster. Unfortunately, as well as my grid position, I was penalized by not being able to overtake the Ducatis. Today I stayed 15 laps behind Martin, even if he was riding one second slower, I couldn’t overtake him. I made a lot of mistakes trying to attack and, when I crashed, I was simply on the limit. I remember in April Bagnaia started eleventh and overtaking was not an issue. We really need to gain in top speed because overtaking is a nightmare, we just can’t overtake.”
It is well known that Iwata's four-cylinder machine is not exactly the benchmark on the straight and today we saw a perfect example. This season’s title shouldn’t flatter to deceive however, the reality is very different and the Frenchman is sending alarm bells triggering on this issue.
"To be honest we know that we are too far behind with the speed that we have when we miss the qualifying. In our condition, the gap from the Ducatis is huge. I was just pushing on the limit, I was making a lot of mistakes, the one of the crash I was braking way too late and I tried to turn. I have received a lot of technical updates, but nothing related to the engine for obvious reasons. So, I know why I crashed, but it’s really a shame we have this kind of difficulty because the bike is so good to ride. But with this speed you can’t make any mistakes. If I make a great qualifying I was able to fight for the victory for sure. But if you miss the qualifying you can say ‘bye bye’ to the win and the podium.”
Irrespective of a Sunday that didn’t give him any satisfaction, the 22-year-old expressed his opinion on the episode that took place a few hours earlier in Moto3 between Dennis Foggia and Darryn Binder. Would a hypothetical Formula 1-style super license help manage the situation?
“There was something similar two years ago it seems to me, however, I believe that more attention should be paid to the category itself, as well as to the riders who are fighting for the title. It didn't happen today and not for the first time, it's a shame. I find it difficult to talk about it,” he admitted.