Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP |News details:Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Show Fighting Spirit in French GP Race

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Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Álex Rins overcame all kinds of difficulties, including a long lap penalty, to secure 15th place in the Michelin Grand Prix de France Race and score 1 championship point. Fabio Quartararo was challenging for a top-6 result when he crashed, ending his home race prematurely.

Le Mans (France), 12th May 2024

The cumulonimbus cloud hanging over the Le Mans circuit ahead of the Michelin Grand Prix de France Race could have been seen as an omen for the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team. Álex Rins had to contend with all sorts of challenges, but his sheer persistence allowed him to finish inside the points, taking 15th place. Fabio Quartararo was on course for a top-6 result in front of his home fans, but a crash in Turn 9 cut off his dream scenario.

Rins started from P16 but had two difficult opening laps. He found himself in 21st place, battling with Augusto Fernandez to keep his spot. He was successful for a while but ultimately was relegated a position. However, the number-42 rider did still move up two places due to other riders' misfortunes. The Yamaha man then engaged in battle with Luca Marini for 19th position. But Rins' day was about to worsen. He was given a long lap penalty due to taking a shortcut at Turn 9. Rins didn't give up though. He soon continued his sparring match with Marini. This time he was successful. It became a lonely ride from him after that, but with various other riders taking a fall, Rins crossed the finish line in 15th place, 30.936s from first.

Spurred on by the grandstand spectators' rendition of the French national anthem, Quartararo was fired up and ready to go. Launching from P8, he came through in 10th place at the end of the first lap, but with two rivals crashing out in front of him, he was soon back in his starting position. The Frenchman was riding on the limit to stay with the group consisting of five riders fighting for third place. However, with 16 laps to go, Aleix Espargaró went onto the Turn 9 run-off area, and Enea Bastianini was given a long-lap penalty a few laps later. The incidents moved Quartararo up to sixth. He was giving it his all to defend his newly gained position, but the fairy tale was not to be. With 11 laps to go, he crashed in Turn 9. Perfectly OK and happy to have been in contention for a top placement again, he was a little disappointed not to have brought home the special Le Mans livery to celebrate with the fans.

Today's results see Quartararo stay in 12th place in the overall standings with 25 points. Rins remains in 20th position with now 7 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP keep their 9th place in the team championship with 32 points, and Yamaha hold onto 4th position in the constructor’s championship with 28 points.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will travel to the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Italy next for a private test in preparation for the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 24-26 May.

Massimo Meregalli

Team Director

We feel very disappointed for Fabio. We know he really wanted to get a good result at his home GP and in front of the fans, who have been so incredibly supportive. It's a pity his race ended like this, but we all attest to his hard work, determination, and effort. This morning, we made some changes on his bike that proved to work quite well. He was matching the pace of the front guys, so this is positive and constructive ahead of a busy three weeks. Álex on the other hand had a far from easy race, with problems on braking and some sliding – and it was made even more difficult by a long-lap penalty. He was not comfortable with the bike's set-up he tried this weekend, so he will reset and make a fresh start again. As a team, we now need to look ahead to what's to come. We have the private test in Mugello next week, and the week after we have the Monster Energy-sponsored Catalan GP, followed by the Italian GP, our team's home race. All these events are important to us, so we're going to knuckle down in the next weeks.

Álex Rins

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

A quick overview of the Race: it was really tough for me. I struggled a lot from the beginning to overtake the riders I had in front of me. This was the main problem. At the start, the front wheelie was little bit high, and I lost some positions. Then, lap by lap, I was stuck behind Marini. I couldn't overtake him; I was stuck there. When I was riding alone, I was able to overtake him and manage my pace better despite the problems we were having this weekend, riding low 1'32s. This weekend, it was all about getting a better understanding and taking information. I don't feel we made a step day by day. Now, we will reset and jump on the bike again for two days for an important private test, and let's see if we can improve.

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

I think this is the first time that I am this happy after a race where I crashed. It's because this was the first time this year that we were really inside the top 6 and that we were fighting. I was fighting well. I was fighting with Aleix. I saw some great riders in front of me, and I think I got a bit too motivated for the pace that we had and, unfortunately, I crashed. I'm pretty happy with how the Race went, apart from the mistake we made at the end. But I still think we can be happy about our Race. Seeing the fans always supporting me, we had to give everything we had. This morning, we made big changes on the bike that have been quite positive. We decided to go with this bike, and I think it will be our new base moving forward. Tonight, I'm going to Mugello for the private test, and after that we have the GPs in Barcelona and Mugello, so it will be a busy three weeks. With the information from this GP, especially from this morning, I think we can set a new direction.