The Swiss Dupasquier was involved in a horror accident in qualifying for the Moto3 class on Saturday in Mugello and had to be flown to a hospital in Florence, where he is said to have been in “very serious condition”.
Tragically, the 19-year-old succumbed to injuries when MotoGP confirmed Dupasquier’s death on Sunday morning.
The MotoGP paddock held a minute’s silence on the grid prior to the 23-lap race in the premier class, in which the drivers paid tribute to Dupasquier.
Quartararo dominated the Mugello race after an early crash for Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, with the Yamaha rider taking his third win of the season.
Quartararo dedicates his win to Dupasquier and admits that every time he passed Arrabiatta 2 where the incident happened, he thought of the young Swiss.
“Strange, strange day,” said Quartararo in the Parce Ferme after the race.
“Honestly, [there was] a lot of emotions before the start of the race.
“I get emotional very quickly in any condition so it was really difficult to start the race during that one minute of silence and every time I cross Turn 9 I thought of Jason.
“This one is for him. Yes, in general it was a good weekend for us.
“I would also like to dedicate these to my mother, who is Mother’s Day in France.
“It’s not a great feeling. You win, but we lose one of our friends. So it’s not easy. “
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Quartararo continued to pay tribute to the late Dupasquier in muted post-race podium celebrations, with the Yamaha rider wearing a Swiss flag on the podium.
Dupasquier’s death was met with widespread condolences from the motorsport world on social media.
Earlier in the day, Dupasquier’s Prustel GP team withdrew from Moto3, while his Swiss compatriot Tom Lüthi retired from Moto2 to be with Dupasquier on Sunday.
Quartararo now leads the championship standings at the Grand Prix of Catalonia next weekend with a 24 point lead, with Johann Zarco now his closest rival after finishing fourth in Mugello on his Pramac Ducati.