UPDATE: Monster Yamaha team principal Massimo Meregalli says Fabio Quartararo will have his arm checked out on Monday, which means he will likely miss the test after the race.
In the first half of the Spanish MotoGP, Fabio Quartararo was confident that he was on course to extend his title lead with a third race win in a row.
But a 1.5 second lead over Jack Miller suddenly disappeared and a dramatic decline caused the Monster Yamaha rider to drop to 13th place through the checkered flag.
Instead of a tire problem, Quartararo looked both physical and mental pain on his return to the pits, and the young Frenchman later confirmed he had problems with the arm pump.
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“I had a big problem with my arm, it was so sad because I felt very comfortable up front,” explained Quartararo. “We had incredible pace this weekend and then I just didn’t have any strength left on my arm. I’m just so disappointed about it.
“But I fought until the end, even if it was only about 3 points.”
Quartararo underwent arm pump surgery (cutting through the fascia that surrounds the muscle to allow more blood flow or a more invasive procedure that completely removes the fascia) on the same right arm during its 2019 rookie campaign it has since then , including during last year’s pair of Jerez race wins.
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“Last year in Portimao was really bad [for arm pump]but this year it was perfect. And all the years I’ve been here in Jerez have been good, “he said.” 2020 was perfect here, no problems. Not even a small pain and this year was the exact opposite.
“I was in the lead for a second and then had no more strength. I fought in pain for six more laps to maintain the one-second lead, but it was just impossible for me. No more strength.
“It was dangerous for me to drive the second half of the race, but I didn’t want to stop because I knew that maybe a point or two could be really important for the championship. So I gave it my all.
“I had to brake with four fingers and I usually brake with one. I couldn’t give full throttle on the straight. But no explanation [for the arm pump]. I train the same way, feel even better on the bike and … I don’t know. “
It is possible that scar tissue in the right forearm has simply grown back over time and the problem reappears.
However, given the dramatic impact on his race, something – almost certainly surgery – needs to be done.
Quartararo admitted that he felt “lost” by the deluge of information and advice he received in the hours following the race.
“My brain is not working right now, [but] I have people – my boss, my best friend – trying to find the best option. But right now I have no idea, “he said.
“I’m sure something is planned because my arm is wrong. Portimao was a disaster last year, this year was perfect. I’ve never had a problem here in my life, this year I’ve had a problem. So it’s something that I do ‘I don’t understand.
“We’re still looking, but there are too many options, my brain is just full of people telling me to go to one place, another or another. Actually, I’m just lost, but we’ll see. “
At this point, the # 20 is not even sure whether he will take part in the official test on Monday.
“We have to think about it. Right now I want to rest in my brain because I have no idea. Maybe I’m making the wrong decision and I don’t want to think too quickly,” he said.
The problem with the shock absorber arm pump ruined the otherwise almost perfect weekend. Quartararo slipped from pole to fourth place on the first lap of the race, but then worked his way back to the top with passes in the last corner.
“I was super fast. I stayed calm, I knew I was the fastest today. You start the race and you don’t even feel this stress, I was full of confidence and when I finished fourth I said: ‘From now on I’ll be her overtake in the last corner ‘.
“Every lap in which I overtook drove away and everything from this weekend was positive until halfway through the race and the problem on my arm. But I felt really comfortable on the bike.”
Miller took Ducati’s first win of the season ahead of his teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who now leads the world championship two points ahead of Quartararo.
Quartararo’s home French Grand Prix at Le Mans starts in less than two weeks.
The arm pump operation by Fabio Quartararo in 2019.