MotoGP 2020: Fabio Quartararo wins Spanish Grand Prix

Fabio Quartararo finally turned pole into victory as Marc Marquez was injured in the process of making a couple of uncharacteristic errors at MotoGP delayed season opener in Jerez. Frenchman Quartararo was named rookie of the year in 2019 but failed to register a victory despite qualifying first on six occasions.

 

But the Petronas Yamaha rider finally earned a maiden premier class triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, the first race of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It looked like being a familiar tale when Marquez passed race leader Maverick Vinales with 23 laps remaining after the duo thrillingly jostled for position.

However, the defending champion, racing on the brink as MotoGP fans have become accustomed to witnessing in his career, went far too wide at Turn 4 a couple of laps later and into the dirt - impressively holding the bike to continue in the race. The Spaniard valiantly fought back through the field and appeared on course to brilliantly finish second until losing the bike with a huge high side with four laps to go when chasing Vinales – his Repsol Honda smashing painfully into his arm. Images showed him on a stretcher later in the race.

 

Quartararo himself had made an inauspicious start, slipping from first to fifth in the opening laps as Vinales took ownership of top spot. Vinales had already made an error shortly prior to locking up at Turn 13 with 17 laps to go, though, and he ultimately had to settle for winning the battle for second.

 

Jack Miller of Pramac Racing had held a podium spot for much of the race but eventually slipped behind Andrea Dovizioso, who only underwent surgery on a broken collarbone last month. Valentino Rossi was among the retirees along with Joan Mir, whose team-mate Alex Rins did not race after sustaining a serious shoulder injury on Saturday. Cal Crutchlow was also inactive following a bad crash in Sunday's warm-up that left him with a concussion.

Malaysia MotoGP 2019: Maverick Vinales storm to dominant victory

Spain Maverick Vinales stormed to a dominant victory in the Malaysian MotoGP as World Marc Marquez fought his way from near the back of the starting grid to finish second. Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso came in third but there was a disappointment for French rookie Fabio Quartararo, who only managed a lackluster seventh place after starting from pole.

Vinales dominated at the Sepang circuit from the outset, quickly breaking through the pack and taking the lead from the early stages after starting second on the grid. The Monster Energy Yamaha rider steadily extended his lead over the rest of the pack and never looked threatened. Vinales had a lead of about two seconds over Marquez soon after the halfway mark of the 20-lap race, and he finished over three seconds in front.

It was a major boost for Vinales following last week's Australian MotoGP, where he crashed out after leading for much of the race -- and handed victory to compatriot Marquez. The 24-year-old's second victory of the season leaves him in third place in the overall standings, with one race remaining. Marquez, crowned world champion for the sixth time last month, had started in 11th place after a terrifying crash in qualifying which saw him thrown from his bike. But the Repsol Honda rider surged into second place after just a few laps and stayed there until the end of the race. He opened up a big gap with the rest of the pack, finishing two seconds ahead of Dovizioso of Italy.

There was however a tough fight for third place between Dovizioso, who won at Sepang in 2016 and 2017, and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi. Rossi managed to push past Dovizioso on several occasions, only for the Ducati rider to snatch the lead back and finish the race just ahead of his compatriot. Quartararo had dominated all weekend going into the MotoGP, topping the timesheets in practice and smashing the lap record, before seizing his fifth pole position of the season. But the 20-year-old Petronas Yamaha rider appeared no match for his more experienced rivals in the main race, quickly falling back at the start of the race. The MotoGP in tropical Malaysia has often been disrupted by torrential downpours in previous years but the rain stayed away this year for the whole weekend.

Australian MotoGP 2019: Marc Marquez wins

Marc Marquez seems to be making a habit of having race outcomes decided only on the last lap. There have been several instances through the season where the 2019 World Champion rider won and lost races on the last lap. The 2019 Australian MotoGP at Philip Island was yet another thriller which boiled down to the last lap as leader Maverick Vinales crashed out.

This win allowed Marquez to surpass the tally of five-time world champion Mick Doohan, making him the third most successful premier class winner of all time - and Honda’s most successful rider. LCR rider Cal Crutchlow finished second to make it a Honda one-two, while homeboy Jack Miller of Pramac Ducati claimed the final podium spot, much to the delight of local fans.

As expected, tyre choice became an important factor in the race - the Phillip Island circuit is known to really put tyres to the test. This is thanks to the layout of the circuit which overheats the tyres. Accordingly, the tyres used this weekend were specifically designed for this track by tyre supplier Michelin. Vinales and Marquez both opted for soft/soft, while others such as Quartararo and Dovizioso chose the hard option. Interestingly, the riders also took part in a brief test with Michelin over the weekend, to evaluate the new tyres for 2020.

Andrea Iannone of Aprilia put up a stellar show, even leading the race and pulling off two overtakes on Marquez. Aprilia is the lowest-ranked constructor and yet they were battling closely with the reigning world champion - surely this is a sparkling testament to the competitive quotient of MotoGP. Iannone finally finished in P6, with teammate Aleix Espargaro in P10. This is the best result ever for Aprilia in the history of MotoGP. In addition, it is Iannone’s best-ever result all season.

Aragon MotoGP 2019: Marc Marquez wins

Marc Marquez started from the front of the pack at Aragon GP which was also his 200th grand prix start. And to top it, the Spaniard finished first as well but with a fierce did rage behind him with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) completing the rostrum.

A lightning start for Marquez saw him beat Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) into Turn 1. Vinales slipped to P4 with Quartararo chasing number 93 on the opening lap but by the end of the lap, Marquez was a second down the road.

The opening lap for the fast-starting Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was rather dramatic as the Spaniard got a bit too excited at Turn 12 as he collided with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT). The latter crashed out with Rins dropping to P17. Dovizioso was up behind Quartararo, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) holding off Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) in sixth and seventh.

Lap 9 saw Dovi power past Quartararo’s Yamaha as the Italian now locked his radar onto the back of fellow GP19 rider Miller, with Vinales holding the gap to Miller at just below a second. Marquez was over four seconds clear and with nine to go, Dovi made his move on Miller at Turn 1. Vinales was still holding onto P2 but with just three laps to go, the red Desmosedici used the Ducati grunt to make Vinales look like he was standing still as 04 grabbed P2.