Although Fabio Quartararo won the MotoGP World Championship in 2021, he doesn’t feel like the number one rider and will therefore not move to number 1 in 2022.
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In fact, Quartararo decided against using the number Casey Stoner last used in 2012 at any point in his career.
“We won’t see this number because I started with # 20 and have the feeling that I’m not number one,” said the new world champion, “said Quartararo.
“I’ll continue with # 20 until the end of my career because it’s the number that really got me going when I was four. It’s a very special number.”
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With the rider’s title for Quartararo, Yamaha could be the first manufacturer to complete a triple crown since Repsol Honda achieved the feat in 2019.
To do that, Quartararo would take a second win of the year at Portimao, but the Frenchman will likely need help from other Yamaha riders as Ducati leads the Manufacturers’ Championship with 12 points – one point less than Yamaha holds them in the team title.
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But although Yamaha is relying heavily on Quartararo’s shoulders for this, the 22-year-old feels no pressure after having already achieved his personal goal.
Quartararo added: “Honestly, I’m not going to say it’s pressure because I’ve already achieved my goal. But I’ll do my best and of course I come here to fight for victory, for the podium, but I can not do that.” really control.
“I’ll do my best but we’ll see the end result. It would be nice to do that (triple crown) and see if we can do it.”