Qualifying:
Quali looked familiar with the pole star Fabio Quartararo on P1. Sharing the front row was Francesco Bagnaia P2 and Johann Zarco P3.
The Race:
Before the MotoGP race, there was a minute silence for Jason Depasquier, the French/Swiss rider who passed away earlier in the day from injuries sustained in the Moto3 qualification on Saturday. It was a sombre moment on a bad day for motorcycle racing and difficult emotions for those about to race.
The drama was soon upon us as on the warm-up lap Enea Bastianini clattered his bike all over the tarmac having run into the back of a bemused Johann Zarco, who got it in the lunch box, well, you know that strange box on the back of the Ducati.
Off the line Fabio Quartararo made a great start, now using a basic launch control system, but not one as sophisticated as the Ducati, which showed as Francesco Bagnaia was soon in the lead, Fabio P2 and Miguel Oliveira P3. On lap two Marc Marquez got it all wrong and ended up sliding out, with Franco Morbidelli just missing the stricken Marquez.
Francesco Bagnaia was in the lead until suddenly and shockingly he crashed out, maybe working the Ducati too hard with Fabio Quartararo pressuring him in every corner, this left Johann Zarco on the Pramac Ducati in P2 to defend the honour of the red bikes, and Miguel Oliveira P3. Zarco in the lead with Fabio chasing hard but being out dragged on the straights with the usual Ducati power, frustrating but not unassailable for the young French rider, as he found his way past Zarco and was then able to gap his compatriot. Miguel Oliveira was P3.
The front group remained the same for many laps with a tussle going on behind them between the Suzuki riders Alex Rins and World Champion Joan Mir, swapping P3 and P4 between them. Seven laps to go and it was Fabio P1, Miguel Oliveira P2 and Joan Mir moving to P3 displacing Johann Zarco. With four laps to go Alex Rins crashed out of fourth, his bike cartwheeling into the barrier, very expensive, and something which is going to be noted with Suzuki management as it is four-race crashes in a row for Rins.
The Result:
Over the line it was Fabio Quartararo Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP P1, Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing P2 and Joan Mir, Team Suzuki Ecstar P3. Both Mir and Oliveira were given last lap track limit penalties but, in the end, it made no difference to the result, just a bit of confusion in Parc Ferme!
Having run a sublime controlled race Fabio let it all out, crying on the victory lap and stopping at the corner of the track where Jason Depasquier ultimately lost his life, pointing to the sky, this loss meaning so much to the young Frenchman. He is in every way a credit to the sport.
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Author: Martin Northern
Founder of Bike Directory
