The defense for the title becomes very tough for Fabio Quartararo, who also in Austin found himself forced to look at the podium from below. The reigning world champion struggled with his Yamaha which did not allow him once again to be fighting for the top positions. In the United States he saw Enea Bastianini fly in the standings, author of a majestic success, while the Frenchman was forced to battle to pass under the checkered flag in seventh position.
Mandalika’s second place remains until now the only podium for El Diablo, who in the general chases in fifth position at 17 points behind the Gresini driver. Quartararo, however, defended himself as he could during the Grand Prix of the Americas, engaging in great battles that inflamed the 20 laps and trying to get the most out of a bike that was inferior to the competition.
The reigning champion became the protagonist of a no-holds-barred duel with Marc Marquez, who he believes is still a contender for the title this season: “I think Marc will be a title contender and I will give my best to be one. We will have more situations like these, but for better positions. To be honest, when we are on these types of tracks we are not able to fight for the podium. Now let’s go to Europe, better tracks for us and I’ll do my best to fight for the championship. I always give 100% for any position “.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Quartararo does not want to be outdone and aims to work to be able to return to being constantly in front. However, today’s race does not leave a bad taste in his mouth, on the contrary, he claims to have learned a lot: “At the beginning of the race I had more or less the same problem as Argentina, I had less grip than the others. But at the beginning it was more difficult because everyone was much more drawn “.
“However, I think I had a great race,” continues El Diablo, “I had a lot of fun and I think we fought very hard, even though Marc and I [Marquez] we fought for seventh position. Even though we struggle a lot, I have learned a lot more from this race than from others that I have won. Today I learned a lot and I’m happy about it, because even if we have less power, we push to the limit ”.
Once the Grand Prix of the Americas has been archived, MotoGP rests for a week before restarting the engines and finally returning to Europe, where the season of the old continent awaits all the riders. She sets off from Portimao, a track that Quartararo does not know whether to call a friend. Then it will be Jerez’s turn, where she is aiming for a great result: “I would say that Portimao is a good track for us, not the best. It depends on a lot of things, last year we were behind the Ducatis and we couldn’t overtake. But if you are in front or in the top 3 you can have a very good race. Jerez, on the other hand, will be a favorable track for us ”.
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