The last Grand Prix before the European tour took place in Qatar this weekend. Fabio Quartararo was able to give his supporters a lot of hope, while it was more complicated for Johann Zarco.
After a complicated weekend in the United States for the two Maralpin pilots, they wanted to make up for it in Qatar. Fabio Quartararo silenced the most reluctant with an exceptional weekend, reminiscent of 2022. On the other hand, Johann Zarco was not able to have the dream weekend.
The golden age back for a race
Disappointed with his performance two weeks earlier, the Nice-native Fabio Quartararo wanted to give it his all. His weekend started well with an eleventh place in free practice 1. He continued his form with a nice P6 in practice, which allowed him to go directly to Q2 for qualifying. During free practice 2, he confirmed this form by clocking the third fastest time.
Promising for the qualifiers, where once again, he finished third and thus started on the front row of both races! This had not happened since the Assen Grand Prix in 2022. A great performance that, even though it delighted the concerned, still left him cautious for what’s next: “The objective was to be between six and eight, and we did much better, so I’m very happy […]. The pace is not yet up to par with the others. I think we still did a very good job, but there’s still quite a bit missing.”
As for the sprint race, his start was average as he slipped on acceleration. But he still managed to maintain his third place. Franco Morbidelli had a very good pace and unfortunately passed the Nice-native for the last spot on the podium. Maverick Viñales came close to the Yamaha rider but could not get past. With three laps remaining, El Diablo gave it his all and came very close to Franco Morbidelli. He narrowly lost fourth place due to a correction in the penultimate corner, allowing Fermín Aldeguer to get ahead.
Poor start for Yamaha’s number 20 rider, who lost three positions and found himself in a small group of riders. With a hard brake, Francesco Bagnaia also managed to pass the Frenchman, placing him seventh. Johann Zarco also overtook him; the race was difficult for the Nice-native, who continued to lose positions lap by lap. A contact between Álex Márquez and Fabio Digianantonio allowed him to climb back to seventh place, though the Spanish rider quickly reclaimed it. He seemed to still lack pace on this bike as he dropped to ninth place again. He regained a position thanks to Álex Márquez’s penalty. He found himself in a large group of riders and would have to defend his position. He managed it perfectly and even overtook Pedro Acosta for eighth place. He finished the race in this position but moved to seventh due to a penalty given to Maverick Viñales.
Mixed weekend
It was more complicated for Johann Zarco who, nonetheless, improved gradually over the weekend. He was only fourteenth in free practice 1 but managed to climb to tenth in practice, which also allowed him to avoid Q1. He was just behind his compatriot in free practice 2, in fourth place. Finally, in qualifying, he secured the seventh fastest time, putting him well in the points.
He had a good start in the sprint race, maintaining his seventh place. He gained a position in the first lap ahead of Fermín Aldeguer. The Cannois made a small mistake and was overtaken by Fermín Aldeguer and then Fabio Di Giannantonio, leaving him in P8. He lost many positions in the last five laps due to a lack of pace on his tires. He had so many issues with his bike that he retired on the ninth lap, ending his race.
Again quite a good start for the race where Johann Zarco maintained his position. However, he lost one in the second corner, putting him in eighth. A nice braking maneuver on his compatriot allowed him to move ahead and take seventh position. A contact between Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, both going wide off the track, allowed him to take fifth place. At the race’s midpoint, the Cannois caught up with the two leading riders, contending for a podium place. He overtook Franco Morbidelli with a magnificent inside pass in a corner for fourth place. A battle ensued with Franco Morbidelli and rookie Fermín Aldeguer with only three laps remaining. Even though he closed in on the Italian Ducati rider, he couldn’t get past again and finished in a nice fifth place. After the race, Maverick Viñales received a penalty, allowing Johann Zarco to secure fourth place.