Gigi Dall’Igna: Marc Marquez P13 to P2 “counts as a victory”

Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo surprised the MotoGP world by saying he had never been so happy after a crash. The statement came after the Le Mans Grand Prix, where Quartararo demonstrated an outstanding performance, setting a competitive pace for the first time in the season that put him in the top six, before suffering a crash.

“This is the first time I’ve been so happy after a race where I crashed,” Quartararo said. “It’s because this was the first time this year that we were actually inside the top 6 and that we were fighting. I was fighting well. I was racing with Aleix Espargaro and I saw some great riders in front of me, which made me really motivated for the pace we had and, unfortunately, I fell”.

Despite the accident, Quartararo highlighted the significant improvements made to his Yamaha M1, which allowed him to compete equally with the best. “I’m quite happy with the way the race went, apart from the mistake we made at the end. But I think we can be happy with our race. Seeing that the fans always support me, we had to give everything we had.”

Yamaha team principal Massimo Meregalli shared Quartararo’s optimism. He praised the driver’s performance, although he regretted the outcome of the race. “We are very disappointed for Fabio. We know he really wanted to get a good result in his home GP and in front of the fans, who were extremely supportive,” said Meregalli.

Meregalli also highlighted the changes made to Quartararo’s bike on the morning of the race, which proved effective. “This morning we made some changes to his bike which turned out to be working really well. He was keeping pace with the riders so that’s positive and constructive ahead of a very busy three weeks.”

At Le Mans, Quartararo was not the only driver in the spotlight. Gresini Ducati’s Marc Marquez made an impressive comeback, moving from 13th on the grid to finish second, a performance that Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna likened to a victory. “Marquez confirmed the excellent progress he is making, his giant strides, taking his Ducati from 13th on the grid to second, which counts as a win,” said Dall’Igna.

Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin also had a great performance, winning both the Sprint Race and the Grand Prix. “A wonderful Martin doubled his Sprint Race victory with a thrilling GP victory in a thrilling race set in the final corner,” Dall’Igna praised.

However, Francesco Bagnaia, the reigning world champion, faced challenges during the race, being overtaken by Martin and Marquez in the final lap. “Pecco, after a great start, was the protagonist of a very competitive race, attacking and defending himself with the generosity of the champion that he is, suffering at the end the recoveries of Martini and then Marquis”, commented Dall’Igna.

The race at Le Mans showcased the competition and advances of the top drivers and teams, making the championship even tougher and more exciting. For Quartararo, the happiness after the crash shows that Yamaha is on the right track to regain competition and achieve better results in future races.