Title World Champion, Quartararo won his first victory of the season in Portugal. It gives another Frenchman, Johann Zarco.
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Liberation for Fabio Quartararo! Wanted victory since the beginning of the season, the French world champion reacted Sunday, April 24 by winning the handlebars of Sa Yamaha at the Grand Prix of Portugal. He wins in front of another French, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac), arrived five seconds behind.
Fifth party, Quartararo already explained to the microphone of Canal + be “super happy with the day” of qualification on Saturday. He who had only mounted once on the podium in four races this season (second on the Indonesia Grand Prix) surely also appreciated his Sunday, where he seemed to regain his level of performance of 2021.
Quartararo has indeed won in Portugal its first victory in MotoGP from the Grand Britain Grand Prix in August 2021. It thus takes the head of the World Championship of Points with Spanish Alex Rins (Suzuki), 4 e in Portugal (69 points). “I pushed myself to the limit,” Fabio Quartararo said. “I made a great start and I’m happy to win for the first time in the season.”
Johann Zarco Opportunistic
The day could not be more beautiful for the tricolor clan, since behind quartararo, it was Johann Zarco who cut the line in second position. Pole Party, the Ducati-Pramac driver failed to hold his place, but has been opportunistic to get on the podium. He took advantage of the attachment between the Spaniard Joan Mir (Suzuki) and the Australian Jack Miller (Ducati) while the three pilots were in the fight for second place.
Zarco said after the arrival he had been “impressed” by the rule of quartararo. “It’s a beautiful French victory, but it is unfortunately not mine,” he explained, while he has never won a MotoGP race. Still, the cannois – 5 e in the general classification – thus sign its second podium of the year, after its third place in Indonesia, behind Quartararo so. Note that the two French had already made a double, in the same order, a year ago in Qatar.