Quartararo on Bagnaia crash: «Alex is partly to blame» / MotoGP

From 17th place on the grid, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) managed to finish eighth in the sprint race in Aragon on Saturday. But the Frenchman's hopes of achieving a top 10 result in Sunday's race ended in the gravel trap on the fifth lap. “El Diablo” crashed in turn five and had to watch the race from the side of the track from then on.

His explanation for the fall: “I tried to go a little faster and slipped over the front tire.”

Lack of grip had been a problem for the Yamaha rider from the first practice session, including in the sprint race on Saturday: “We had terrible grip all weekend. The fact that we couldn't use the soft rear tires was a disaster for us!” Tire supplier Michelin had refused to give him permission to race for safety reasons.

It wasn't just Quartararo's crash that caused a stir, but also another accident. When asked about his view on the race-deciding crash between Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, the 2021 world champion saw Alex Marquez as primarily responsible: “If you go as far off the ideal line in turn 12 as Alex did, then you have to know that you won't be able to get back on the ideal line so quickly. Pecco stayed on his line.” From the Frenchman's point of view, it is clear: “For me, Alex is partly to blame for the crash!”

The fact that his brother Marc Marquez was able to win the Grand Prix on Sunday after his success in the sprint race was no surprise to Quartararo, despite Marquez's long dry spell of 1,043 days since his last race win: “It was clear that Marc had not simply forgotten how to ride. He was clearly the best this weekend. I think, except for the warm-up, he took first place in every single session this weekend and that speaks for itself.”

Results MotoGP Aragon, Grand Prix (1 September):

1. Marc Márquez (E), Ducati, 23 laps in 41:47.082 min
2. Jorge Martín (E), Ducati, +4,789 sec
3. Pedro Acosta (E), KTM, +14,904
4. Brad Binder (ZA), KTM, +16,459
5. EneaBastianini (I), Ducati, +18,776
6. Franco Morbidelli (I), Ducati, +20,549
7. Fabio Di Giannantonio (I), Ducati, +21,159
8. Marco Bezzecchi (I), Ducati, +24,759
9. Alex Rins (E), Yamaha, +39,420
10. Jack Miller (AUS), KTM, +39.966
11. Aleix Espargaró (E), Aprilia, +40,602
12. TakaakiNakagami (J), Honda, +41,782
13. Augusto Fernández (E), KTM, +42,083
14. Johann Zarco (F), Honda, +43.264
15. Joan Mir (E), Honda, +49.735
16. Raúl Fernández (E), Aprilia, +57,322
17. Luca Marini (I), Honda, +1:52.386 mins
– Alex Márquez (E), Ducati, 6 laps back
– Francesco Bagnaia (I), Ducati, 6 laps back
– Maverick Viñales (E), Aprilia, 13 laps back
– Fabio Quartararo (F), Yamaha, 17 laps back
– Miguel Oliveira (P), Aprilia, 23 laps back

Results MotoGP Aragon, Sprint (31 August):

1. Marc Márquez (E), Ducati, 11 laps in 19:50.034 mins
2. Jorge Martín (E), Ducati, +2,961 seconds
3. Pedro Acosta (E), KTM, +6,694
4. Alex Márquez (E), Ducati, +9,950
5. Miguel Oliveira (P), Aprilia, +11,749
6. Brad Binder (ZA), KTM, +14,144
7. EneaBastianini (I), Ducati, +14,291
8. Fabio Quartararo (F), Yamaha, +18,836
9. Francesco Bagnaia (I), Ducati, +20,298
10. Marco Bezzecchi (I), Ducati, +20,448
11. Raúl Fernández (E), Aprilia, +20,678
12. Augusto Fernández (E), KTM, +21,429
13. Jack Miller (AUS), KTM, +22.110
14. TakaakiNakagami (J), Honda, +22,440
15. Antonio Di Giannantonio (I), Ducati, +23,468
16. Luca Marini (I), Honda, +26,822
17. Alex Rins (E), Yamaha, +26.910
18. Joan Mir (E), Honda, +31.147
19. Maverick Viñales (E), Aprilia, +37,642
– Franco Morbidelli (I), Ducati, 10 laps back
– Johann Zarco (F), Honda, 11 laps back
– Aleix Espargaró (E), Aprilia, 11 laps back

World Championship standings after 24 of 40 races:

1. Martin, 299 points. 2. Bagnaia 276. 3. Marc Marquez 229. 4. Bastianini 228. 5. Acosta 148. 6. Binder 145. 7. Vinales 139. 8. Aleix Espargaro 118. 9. Di Giannantonio 113. 10. Alex Márquez 104. 11. Morbidelli 83 2. Bezz ecchi 81. 13. Oliveira 60. 14. Miller 50. 15. Quartararo 51. 16. Raul Fernandez 46. 17. Augusto Fernandez 19. 18. Nakagami 17. 19. Zarco 16. 20. Rins 15. 21. Mir 14. 22. Pedrosa 7. 23. Pol Espargaro 6. 24. Marini 1.

Constructors’ World Championship:

1. Ducati, 426 points. 2. Aprilia 218. 3. KTM 217. 4. Yamaha 62. 5. Honda 32.

Team World Championship:

1. Ducati Lenovo Team, 504 points. 2. Prima Pramac Racing 382. 3. Gresini Racing MotoGP 333. 4. Aprilia Racing 257. 5. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 198. 6. Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team 196. Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 167. 8. Trackhouse Racing 106. 9. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 66. 10. LCR Honda 33. 11. Repsol Honda 15.