JOIN USClear goal was to fight for victory: Quartararo
Dutch TT Assen winner and world championship leader Fabio Quartararo on Sunday said that the race was tough but they achieved what they set out to.
“It was a tough race. For me, there was a clear goal and that was to fight for victory and we achieved it. I am so happy.” the Yamaha MotoGP rider from France said in the post-race press conference.
“It was a tough one to be honest when I had Pecco (Francesco Bagnaia) in front. It was tough to overtake him. The power out of turn six is so fast. And I tried many times out of 12. I hit a little on the outside of his bike and I saw that I had the potential to go on the inside of 12. So, I never expected to overtake there. So, finally it was the perfect spot. It was a really tough one because I made two big mistakes. But the most important is the position we finished in and the points we brought home,” he added.
Quartararo’s teammate Maverick Vinales finished second, while reigning world champion from Ecstar Suzuki, Joan Mir, came in third.
Quartararo leads the championship with 156 points, while Pramac Racing Ducati’s Johann Zarco is second with 122 points. Lenovo Ducati Team’s Bagnaia is third with 109, while Mir is fourth with 101 with Lenovo Ducati Team’s Jack Miller next on 100. Vinales is sixth on 95.
Also, Yamaha, on Monday, also announced that Vinales would not race for the team after 2021.
Back to the race, Vinales said: “Our bike is so complicated to overtake. I found myself behind Nakagami. I did not know what to do, outside, inside. I did not find a way to overtake until he lost traction. As soon as he lost traction, it was easy to overtake and I tried to put in good rhythm. For sure, I destroyed the tyres a lot. I understand that when I see Fabio in the front that this race is going to be very difficult. But we are first and we are on the podium and we are happy.
“I am not disappointed that I did not win. I am disappointed because I am not able to perform to my potential. That is why I was upset in Sachsenring. Here, I was not able to push to the maximum and technically there were many mistakes. I was not able to give the maximum,” he added.
Third-placed Mir said: “It is an important podium for me. It will be a boost of energy to be better for the second part of the season. This package is probably not enough to fight for the title. So, we must work on the bike and work on myself and try to improve more. I am happy about the race because we couldn’t expect much more. Fabio and Maverick rode the bike really well and it was difficult to be close to them.”
The season is on a five-week break and returns in August.