Catalonia Grand Prix: Fabio Quartararo wins to regain MotoGP championship lead

Fabio Quartararo leads at the Catalonia Grand Prix
Fabio Quartararo led from the ninth lap for his third win of the season

Frenchman Fabio Quartararo won the Catalonia Grand Prix on Sunday to regain the MotoGP championship lead from Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso.

The Yamaha-SRT rider, 21, dominated the season’s eighth race after Dovizioso fell on the first lap in Barcelona.

Joan Mir finished second with fellow Spanish Suzuki rider Alex Rins third.

Quartararo’s third win this year puts him eight points ahead of Mir in the standings, with Dovizioso now trailing by 24 in fourth place.

Franco Morbidelli started in pole position but team-mate Quartararo took the lead on the ninth of 24 laps, before holding off Mir and Rins.

Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, who was chasing his 200th podium finish, was second before crashing on the 16th lap.

After Quartararo won the first two races of the season, there had been different winners in the next six.

Catalonia GP

1 Fabio Quartararo (Fra) Yamaha 40mins 33.176secs

2 Joan Mir (Spa) Suzuki +0.928secs

3 Alex Rins (Spa) Suzuki +1.898secs

4 Franco Morbidelli (Ita) Yamaha +2.846secs

5 Jack Miller (Aus) Ducati +3.391secs

6 Francesco Bagnaia (Ita) Ducati +3.518secs

7 Takaaki Nakagami (Jpn) Honda +3.671secs

8 Danilo Petrucci (Ita) Ducati +6.117secs

9 Maverick Vinales (Spa) Yamaha +13.607secs

10 Cal Crutchlow (Gbr) Honda +14.483secs

World Championship standings

1 Fabio Quartararo (Fra) 108 pts

2 Joan Mir (Spa) 100

3 Maverick Vinales (Spa) 90

4 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) 84

5 Franco Morbidelli (Ita) 77

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