Although Fabio Quartararo led the MotoGP standings before round 12 of MotoGP at Silverstone, he left the legendary British circuit three days later in an even stronger position with almost one hand on the title. So great was his dominance in the race, journalists from France24 got a little upset when their compatriot smashed his rivals to extend his lead at the top of the premier class.
However, Leading the championship standings is not a premiere for Quartararo as it was in 2020, after winning three of the first eight rounds of the campaign. But just as he was considered the favorite for the world title, doubts crept in from some corners that suggested that he could come under pressure. It turned out that his third win in Catalonia would be his last of the season – the doubters were probably right. Ultimately, his battle for the MotoGP crown ended in disappointment. Moving up from the top of the overall standings to eighth overall, and ironically, the eighth was his best-placed race in his last six attempts.
This year, however, the 22-year-old appears to have a new maturity, now in his third season as a MotoGP rider. After Quartararo completed his climb from a seat with the Petronas satellite SRT team to the factory-backed Monster Energy Yamaha team, Quartararo’s reaction was that it was a dream.
This dream move spurred him on immediately and reality quickly looked bright for the French when the season kicked off in Qatar in March. For someone who is young and using all their experience, the consistency of Quartararo’s results is amazing. After four wins and three podium visits later, the paddock traveled to four other points in Great Britain, where the aforementioned victory occurred.
Quartararo’s fifth win of the season at Silverstone in late August in front of nearly 70,000 fans was just one more indication of his growing maturity in the MotoGP class. But it was the kind of victory that was just as striking. After taking the lead on lap five, he pushed forward and at some point improved to four seconds, which gave him the opportunity to save his tires and cross the finish line relatively comfortable 2.6 seconds ahead of second-placed Alex Rins. The decisive factor is that the victory extended his lead in the overall standings ahead of current world champion Joan Mir and pacemaker Francesco Bagnaia at the beginning of the season.
Quartararo was visibly confident after his win when he said, “It’s funny because I’ve read a lot of comments about being under pressure and making mistakes, but the opposite is the case. I’ve never felt so good on the bike and Yamaha has never put me under any pressure. “
That confidence is also shared as Quartararo is ranked as a clear favorite by Bwin Sports ahead of Mir and Bagnaia. Although his rivals have stated that El Diablo will begin to feel the pressure to lead the title race, the man at the top of the tree seems to feel the exact opposite, and he seems absolutely to love the responsibility.