Quartararo returns to the track with the platonic title of “summer champion”. The French from Yamaha is currently leading the MotoGP standings, 34 points from Zarco and 47 points from Bagnaia, but on paper he has two tough weekends ahead of him. The Red Bull Ring is certainly not the best track for the M1, while Ducati in Austria was only beaten once by Oliveira’s KTM.
However, Fabio certainly does not want to start with a defeatist attitude and knows very well that Yamaha can help on a track where performance matters.
“I’m really happy to be racing again – Quartararo is starting – I was fine during the summer break and it was nice to rest a bit, but now I just want to get back on my bike. I want to drive the season race by race, so I’m not too focused on the overall standings. My main goal is simply to do a good job in Austria this weekend and the next. We know the Red Bull Ring isn’t the best track on the calendar for us, but I’ve been on the podium here in the past so we also know it’s possible to fight for the top spots. We will do our best”.
For Vinales, the holidays were an opportunity to take a break after hearing the news of his departure from Yamaha. The Spaniard has not yet decided what his future will look like (even if Aprilia’s door is wide open) and in the meantime has to think about ending this year in the best possible way.
“The races in Austria last year were eventful, to say the least, and the results were not what we were hoping for – Maverick remembers the terrible accident he had when he was unbraked on the first corner – but overall the feeling wasn’t a shame. We will of course do our utmost to get the second half of the 2021 season off to the best possible start. I’ve been training a lot over the past few weeks so I feel great! The next two races will probably not be the easiest for us, but at Assen we showed that we have great potential. We’ve had some good races in Spielberg in the past, especially in 2019, so I think we can do a good job again. “