Last season, it was especially in the first part of the season that Fabio Quartararo made the difference, while Pecco Bagnaia paid for his lack of consistency. When the Italian scored his first victory at the end of the summer, at the GP of Aragón, he became almost unstoppable and three more victories were added to his tally.
A duel between the two men was expected for the 2022 season but they both struggled in the first races on the program. Quartararo regained victory in Portimão while in Jerez it was Bagnaia who picked up their first success of the season, which did not really surprise their rival.
« I expected it because I know that when he’s in a mood like that, we saw him at Misano, the two [courses] even if he fell [dans la deuxième]in Aragón, Valencia, Portimão 2… He is still going strong, so now we will have to respond and give the maximum »warned Quartararo, who is wary of seeing Bagnaia in the game earlier than last season.
« Pecco was super fast last year but in the last part he was unbeatable »said the World Champion at a press conference after the Spanish GP. « Not just in his speed, but in his riding. He was super fast all the time. This year he’s super fast earlier. I wouldn’t say I’m worried but for sure he’s the one of the fastest on the grid so it will be a great fight. »
The first laps were decisive
This fight finally ended in Jerez. After a good start, Quartararo was unable to take the advantage at the first corner: « Pecco braked really really very, very late »he explained, considering that the event was played in « the first three rounds » since in the wake of the Ducati, its front tire has become difficult to manage: « Afterwards, the temperature suddenly rose. At the end of the third lap, it was dead. Last year, at turn 12 I arrived a little faster, but there from the start we had trouble. «
To counter the overheating of his tire, Quartararo preferred not to remain huddled in the wheel of Bagnaia and he left a gap of more than half a second, before trying to close in the very last laps, because he « we had to try something » even if carrying out an attack was ultimately impossible. Looking back, he believes that only one strategy was possible to beat the Italian: « Escape in the first lap. Frankly, on my own I could have had a slightly higher pace. Afterwards I don’t know if Pecco could have followed. »
« The only thing that bothers me a bit is that I couldn’t pass him in the first three laps, because at the start I knew I could do a little bit better. As soon as I had this problem on the front tyre, it stopped me a little bit but honestly, I’m not complaining about this position. »
From Saturday, Pecco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo broke away from the rest of the field for the rest of the weekend. In the race, they regularly stuck more than half a second a lap to the rest of the field… but they also made similar mistakes. « It was fun because sometimes Pecco missed the rope, and I missed the code »Quartararo said. « When he was doing something, I was doing the same behind. Our race pace was really similar, everything was similar but I’m really happy because our pace was very, very fast. »
« Last year I had a very tough race physically. [avec un arm-pump et de nombreuses positions perdues, NDLR] and I’m very happy because I feel much stronger and I haven’t had any pain [dimanche]. I’m really happy and looking forward to the next race. »
A useful experience for Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo did not leave Jerez totally disappointed, believing he had progressed by staying in contact with Pecco Bagnaia: « I think that even though I finished second, behind Pecco I’m still learning. I think I learn more in this kind of races than in Portugal. He pushed me to my limits and I think that it’s good to have someone like that because you improve his driving a lot. »
« I attacked to the limit, I couldn’t do anything [dimanche] but like i said, i think i have made a lot of progress [dans cette course]because in these conditions, I was able to think about how to manage the situation and I think we did it well »he added. « I think it’s a good experience for the future. »
This approach confirms the will displayed by Fabio Quartararo after his success in Portugal. When victory is impossible, he does his best to save as many points as possible, with the title in the corner of his mind. He achieved his goal in Andalusia: « You fight the whole race to get there and in the end you don’t get there. You know very well that these are very good points to take. »
« I know I was really on the limit and I couldn’t do better. These are very good points taken and it’s very important to take as many points as possible. It’s five points that we missed , a victory, but frankly we can be happy. »