It was a MotoGP Spanish GP Sprint memorable, both for the fifteen crashes which represent a real record, but also for the penalties that hit several riders including Quartararo who had to give up the podium to Dani Pedrosa.
A “pressure” problem
It was a Sprint of MotoGP Spanish GP where absolutely everything happened, from crashes to penalties for tire pressure. The ones who paid the price were Fabio Quartararo, who had achieved his first podium of this season, but also Raul Fernandez, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Alex Rins and Jack Miller. But the person who suffered a real mockery was the Frenchman from Yamaha, who saw third place taken away immediately after the awards ceremony due to an 8-second penalty received for tire pressure which proved to be too low. Quartararo therefore not only lost the podium but also had to give up fourth position to Franco Morbidelli, thus finishing fifth and becoming the first rider this season to suffer this type of penalty. In fact, the rule states that if the tire pressure at the end of the Sprint race is below the permitted limit, the seconds to be served are 8, while in the long race 16.
Quartararo mockery
A real mockery therefore for Fabio Quartataro who had finally managed to bring Yamaha back to the positions that count after starting 23rd. The “Diablo” moved up the rankings with overtaking especially in the first lap, even reaching third position, subsequently resisting the attacks of a revived Dani Pedrosa. But in the end the Frenchman had to settle for fifth place due to the penalty. At the end of the MotoGP Spanish GP Sprint Quartararo declared: “I thought there was something on the track because so many riders crashed. I managed to stay focused and fight with Dani, who is fantastic. Pedrosa was behind me for the whole race, I could feel his bike but until the last two laps I didn’t know I was fighting for third position. I had fun and the last lap was really impressive.”
A fight for the podium that would not have been possible without the Frenchman’s super start: “On the first lap I got close to tenth position, which was the key to getting into the fight for the important positions. I hope to repeat myself tomorrow, but realistically finishing in the top ten would be a good result. Today I broke away very late in the first two corners, even making some contact, but that’s how you have to fight, always with respect. I had a lot of fun especially in the first two laps. We also used a different bike although not completely and I have to say that it worked well. Today we will compare the data and hopefully tomorrow we will be able to try something different again.”
Pedrosa thanks
Those who can rejoice instead are Dani Pedrosa who achieved an unexpected podium at the expense of Fabio Quartararo, who was mocked by the penalty inflicted due to tire pressure being too low. The Spaniard in fact grabbed third place after a Friday that saw him struggle and where he failed to qualify directly in Q2. Pedrosa in fact started the Sprint from 16th place on the grid, where he also had to deal with track conditions that were certainly not optimal due to the rain that fell during the morning. But in the Sprint Dani managed to be consistent and came to compete for third position with Quartararo, who preceded him at the finish line by just 50 thousandths. The penalty imposed on the Frenchman then meant that the good Dani achieved a podium, yet another in an extraordinary career that continues despite the fact that the Spaniard is now present on the track only as a wild card as a KTM test rider, and which he had not arrived since Valencia 2017, when he ran full time.
At the end of the MotoGP Spanish GP Sprint, Pedrosa declared: “In qualifying I wasn’t able to do better, and starting so far back certainly doesn’t help. The track was still damp in some sections, and there was a risk of falling. After the first two laps I managed to get behind Fabio and tried to overtake him, but the riders kept falling in front of me. I didn’t know what position I was in and on the last lap I didn’t know I was third or fourth, in fact I thought I was fifth or sixth. When I returned to the pits they told me that I just missed the podium. In fact, upon arrival I didn’t see the table because I was trying to overtake Fabio. However I did a smart race. When the track is in these conditions it is always dangerous and you have to be very concentrated because at the slightest mistake you are out. I didn’t have much fun, but when you start to recover position the feeling is much better than when the opposite happens.”
Julian D’Agata
