Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo gave a masterclass at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix today. An impeccable race from start to finish earned him his fifth victory of the season and eighth podium. Cal Crutchlow rode a steady race. Starting from 19th, he crossed the finish line in 17th place.
Quartararo started from third position on the grid and slotted into second after the first corner. He had to relinquish two positions on the back straight before Turn 7, but it wasn’t for long. With 18 laps to go he overtook Francesco Bagnaia and had to close a small gap to the front duo. He managed it in no time. A lap later El Diablo took over second place from Aleix Espargaró and went on to set a provisional 2’00.485s fastest lap of the race on lap 4. He then swiftly moved past Pol Espargaró in Turn 12 on the next lap.
With clear space ahead of him, the Frenchman was off. Another 2’00.098s fastest lap of the race on lap 6 gave him an advantage of 1.320s, which sealed the deal. The rest of the race was a lonely ride and thus a real test of concentration, but the Yamaha man did a perfect job, steadily extending his lead to nearly 4 seconds. He managed the gap beautifully and took the win with a 2.663s advantage.
Cal Crutchlow began the race from 19th place and soon moved up two positions with riders crashing out in the busy opening lap. The Briton was spurred on by the crowds to push for championship points. He lost a bit of time sparring with some rivals which led to rear-tyre drop in the later stages, but he kept the bit between his teeth.
With 3 laps to go he overtook Valentino Rossi for 16th but then lost a place to Miguel Oliveira. He was unable to retaliate and ended the race in 17th place, 23.232s from first.
Today’s win extends Quartararo’s lead in the championship standings to 65 points, with a 206 points total. Replacement rider Cal Crutchlow hasn’t scored any points yet this season and occupies the 27th spot in the rankings. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP stay in first place in the team standings with 301 points. Yamaha climbed up to first place again in the constructor championship with 234 points.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action in two weeks’ time at the Motorland Aragón circuit for the Gran Premio de Aragón.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
What a great win by Fabio! He looked in control throughout the entire race. We prepared for today’s race in a perfect way. All sessions, including Warm Up, were crucial, and we’re delighted that it led to Fabio winning the Monster Energy British Grand Prix. Still, we didn’t expect him to pull away that easily. His 2’00.098s lap was the fastest of the race. He set it at the perfect time, and it was the nail in the coffin for the other riders. After that they didn’t stand a chance. Fabio really was on another level and managed the gap perfectly even without pushing 100%. We couldn’t be more elated for him, our title sponsor Monster Energy, and for all the team and Yamaha staff to be able to celebrate such a dominating win. Cal had a more difficult race. He wanted to get into the points, but in the end he didn’t quite manage that. He lost a bit of time at the start of the race battling with other riders, and towards the end he was one of the many who noticed a drop in the rear tyre, which we know happens here quite easily. Still, he managed it well and rode a quite steady race, so overall he ended the weekend with a positive feeling.
FABIO QUARTARARO
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER
This win felt great! In Austria I was thinking of the championship when we were switching bikes, but here I thought of nothing. I was feeling great on the bike, and I enjoyed fighting for the victory. It was perfect. I enjoy racing like that, living in the moment. I felt great at the start and stayed calm. I only made a few mistakes, and I felt like I was really good on braking. It was better than expected, and because of that I had kind of a change in strategy during the race. When I had a 3s lead I said, ‘Okay, now it’s time to go slowly and not make any mistakes’, and then on the last lap I was just enjoying the track, still riding slowly. I’m so happy about this result. It’s a really special win. When I won in Assen, I already had some fans there. I don’t know how many fans there were here today, but it was massive, and it was great to share this moment with them. I want to thank them. For a Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider, it’s always nice to win a Monster Energy Grand Prix, so I basically got it all, it’s amazing! It’s a great win for them, and also for my family and the team. I have a mechanic who couldn’t come here, Daniele Grelli, so this one is for him. I can’t wait to be with the crew to celebrate.
CAL CRUTCHLOW
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER
I did enjoy the race. Obviously, I’m disappointed about where I finished, but overall I was pleased with my performance and pleased with the lap times I was doing. We came here to do a good job, and I feel we did that. During this weekend we worked in a great way with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team, but I just started too far back. It was as simple as that, because I felt that I had a bit of a better pace to run with the guys nearer the front. In the mid-race I was quite pleased with my pace. It was probably a little bit faster than the pace I was doing over the weekend, so I stayed consistent. We saw a lot of guys dropping with the tyres, which we knew would happen. I was in the exact same boat with the rear tyre, but I was able to manage it well, which was quite pleasing. Overall, to be racing here in Silverstone in front of the home fans, I got great support. I’m glad they got to see three great races today. We can go away from here proud about our weekend.
- From Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
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