Quartararo Makes Supreme Comeback in Spanish GP Sprint
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Copyright 2024 Yamaha Motor Racing Srl
The Gran Premio de España Super Saturday Sprint had the fans on the edge of their seats. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo gave a brilliant performance amidst thrilling chaos this afternoon, riding from P23 to P3. However, an 8s penalty due to low tyre pressure relegated him to P5. Álex Rins also found an improvement on the Saturday afternoon but was one of the many riders who fell victim to the Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto track. He managed to rejoin the 12-lap dash and finished in 15th place.
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 27th April 2024
The odds were against Fabio Quartararo today, starting the Gran Premio de España Sprint from P23, but clever riding at the start and plenty of racing drama along the way had the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP man finish in third place, earning him his first podium result of 2024. However, a post-event 8s penalty due to low tyre pressure relegated him to fifth. Álex Rins also showed grit, riding from P25 to P17 in the first half of the 12-lap dash, but with five laps to go he took a tumble. Unhurt and able to rejoin, he finished in 15th place.
Quartararo had a strong start from P23 and wrestled himself to 14th place in the opening corners. With two riders crashing early, El Diablo wrapped up the first lap in 11th place. But the mayhem at the Jerez track didn't end there: various riders crashed. The Yamaha-man, however, was still going strong. He was circulating in third place and skillfully kept Daniel Pedrosa at bay in the final laps to keep his position with a 0.050s advantage across the finish line, and with a 7.052s gap to first place. The achievement initially earned him seven championship points, but a post-podium 8s penalty due to low tyre pressure relegated him to fifth, losing him two points.
After a difficult Saturday morning, Rins was determined to recover as many positions as possible in the Sprint and collect data for the remainder of the race weekend. He launched towards the first corner from P25 on the grid. By lap 8, he was challenging Augusto Fernandez for 16th place. The number-42 rider was putting his head down, but with five laps to go, he took a tumble in Turn 13. Unhurt and able to remount his M1, he hopped back to it. With multiple other riders meeting a similar fate to the Spaniard, he was steadily bettering his position. He took the chequered flag in 15th place, 1'02.288s from the Sprint winner. Post-Sprint, Rins also received a sanction for low tyre pressure. However, the 8s penalty didn't affect his placement in the classifications.
Today's revised results see Quartararo climb up to 10th place in the overall standings with 24 points. Rins is now in 21st position with 3 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP stay 8th in the team championship with 27 points, and Yamaha hold on to 4th position in the constructor’s championship with 24 points.
On the Spanish GP Sunday, the teammates will start the track action with the Warm Up held from 09:40 - 09:50 (GMT +2), followed by the 25-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Quartararo had a strong start from P23 and wrestled himself to 14th place in the opening corners. With two riders crashing early, El Diablo wrapped up the first lap in 11th place. But the mayhem at the Jerez track didn't end there: various riders crashed. The Yamaha-man, however, was still going strong. He was circulating in third place and skillfully kept Daniel Pedrosa at bay in the final laps to keep his position with a 0.050s advantage across the finish line, and with a 7.052s gap to first place. The achievement initially earned him seven championship points, but a post-podium 8s penalty due to low tyre pressure relegated him to fifth, losing him two points.
After a difficult Saturday morning, Rins was determined to recover as many positions as possible in the Sprint and collect data for the remainder of the race weekend. He launched towards the first corner from P25 on the grid. By lap 8, he was challenging Augusto Fernandez for 16th place. The number-42 rider was putting his head down, but with five laps to go, he took a tumble in Turn 13. Unhurt and able to remount his M1, he hopped back to it. With multiple other riders meeting a similar fate to the Spaniard, he was steadily bettering his position. He took the chequered flag in 15th place, 1'02.288s from the Sprint winner. Post-Sprint, Rins also received a sanction for low tyre pressure. However, the 8s penalty didn't affect his placement in the classifications.
Today's revised results see Quartararo climb up to 10th place in the overall standings with 24 points. Rins is now in 21st position with 3 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP stay 8th in the team championship with 27 points, and Yamaha hold on to 4th position in the constructor’s championship with 24 points.
On the Spanish GP Sunday, the teammates will start the track action with the Warm Up held from 09:40 - 09:50 (GMT +2), followed by the 25-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
On the first lap, I gained close to ten positions, and I think this was the key to be fighting for a podium position. The track conditions were really tricky, and this caused many crashes at the front of the pack. Many people crashed in one particular corner, so I thought there was something on the track there, but I stayed focused, and I think it was great for us to be fighting, with Dani especially. He was behind me all the Sprint race: I could hear his bike. I didn't know until the last two laps that I was fighting for third position, but it was nice. Especially the last lap was quite impressive. The penalty is a shame, but tomorrow we can try again. Hopefully, we can make a similar start, but realistically, if we're able to finish inside the top 10, I think that would be a really great result.
Álex Rins
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
During the Sprint race I gave my maximum. It was a shame I just lost the front while overtaking a rider. It was a big pity, because I felt I had a better pace than the riders in front of me. But, anyway, it's hard for us to overtake. Apart from this, I'm quite happy because we know what happened in the quali, in those wet conditions. So, for sure, for the next wet session we're going to try to do the electronics in a different way. And that's it. Congrats to Fabio! He got a great result and made a rocket start, and the team deserve this. We are fighting this battle together: we are giving everything and are pushing each other, and this is a boost for the team.
It's a pity that we got an 8s penalty for running tyre pressure lower than the advised parameters. There was only a very slight difference. The tyre pressure decision is based on a protocol. The fact that Fabio started the Sprint from the penultimate row was also taken into account. But Fabio then rode the Sprint with clear space ahead of him – something we couldn’t have expected starting from P23 – and this lowered the tyre pressure. It was an unforeseen series of events that got us in this position, it was never malicious intent.
Álex also made a step this afternoon compared to this morning. It was a shame that he crashed, because he was making progress. But it was good to see him rejoin the Sprint quickly. Him finishing the 12 laps gives us extra data to work with as we prepare for tomorrow's Race.