Quartararo was robbed of a win at the Spanish GP in May when he suffered an arm pump in his right arm that had to undergo surgery after the race in Jerez.
He hasn’t had many problems with his arm since then, but the physical nature of the Assen course that weekend meant he had “struggled” during the Dutch GP.
Quartararo took the lead on the first lap and had to spend several tours behind Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati before finally doing a move stick on lap six.
From there, Quartararo dominated the race, opening a gap of over four seconds and a stand and sealing the victory with 2.7 seconds on the checkered flag.
However, he feels that he could have lapped even faster if he hadn’t had the problems with his right arm.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing leads at the start of the race
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“This one was tough,” said Quartararo after the race in Parc Ferme.
“[It] was a really tough race because I was struggling to overtake Pecco and I had a bit of a struggle with my right arm all weekend.
“And in the race, to be honest, I was able to drive three or four tenths faster every lap.
“But I felt really bad and halfway through the race I was a bit scared to be honest.
“But I keep the pace and I can be happy because it was the fight with Maverick [Vinales] on Saturday he won, so the points will arrive on Sunday. So, I’m so happy. “
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This is Quartararo’s fourth win of the 2021 season, and with next title rival Johann Zarco at the end, the Yamaha rider’s championship lead has grown to 34 points before the five-week summer break.
Quartararo ran a Yamaha 1-2 at the checkered flag, with Poleman and teammate Vinales working their way up to second after dropping to fifth on the opening tour.
Vinales dominated the headlines in Sunday’s race after it was reported that he was considering leaving Yamaha at the end of the 2021 season and joining Aprilia after his relationship with the team deteriorated.