The prerequisites for Fabio Quartararo were set to take his third MotoGP victory in a row at the Spanish Grand Prix on May 2, 2021. He secured pole position and led the championship series. He won the last two races at the Jerez Circuit and enjoyed a comfortable lead in the early stages of the race. It seemed like the stars were aligned, but victory shouldn’t be for the French.
As luck would have it, Quartararo’s problems with the arm pump returned at the worst. After extending his lead to 1.5 seconds over Aussie Jack Miller, “El Diablo” quickly faded. Miller could easily locate Quartararo, but that was only the beginning of his fall. Over 12 laps, the Yamaha rider lost 12 places and crossed the checkered flag in P13. After the race, Quartararo explained what happened on the track.
“I was in the lead for a second and then had no more strength,” reported Quartararo. “I fought six more laps in pain to keep the one-second lead, but it was just impossible for me. No more strength.”
While many MotoGP teams stayed in Spain for an extra day of testing, the Team Blue rider returned to France to undergo a medical exam about his arm pump problems. An ultrasound showed that Quartararo’s muscles were squeezing a vein in his forearm. Doctors performed an operation to clear the area and fill Fabio’s forearm again.
Quartararo had previously underwent arm pump surgery in 2019. After the procedure, the problem for El Diablo disappeared during the 2020 season. Unfortunately, the issue reappeared and cost him a well-deserved race win.
Of course, the Frenchman has to rest if he wants to start his home Grand Prix on May 16, 2021. Quartararo is two points behind Ducati riders and current championship leader Francesco Bagnaia. The Le Mans Circuit could be the perfect place for the Yamaha rider to regain his stranglehold in the MotoGP World Championship – as long as his arm pump doesn’t return.