Is the 2022 MotoGP title slowly slipping away from Fabio Quartararo?
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Fabio Quartararo
After winning the MotoGP title in 2021, it is safe to say that Fabio Quartararo entered the 2022 season poised to be the favourite to win the title and make it a double. Although during testing, it was clear that the Yamaha M1 did not have the straight line speed to fight for top spots. This was a big concern for the world champion as he even thought of leaving the Japanese team. Fast forward the season up till the Dutch Grand Prix, Fabio Quartararo lead the championship by 34 points over rival Aleix Espargaro.
This was a substantial gap and what was even crazier was the Yamaha rider’s 91 point gap to Pecco Bagnaia who had terrible luck all season. Coming into the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Fabio Quartararo had 3 wins to his name and was leading the championship by a good margin. This changed as Fabio completely wrecked his own race and that of title rival Aleix Espargaro and proceeded to retire from the race. His collision with the Aprilia rider meant a long lap penalty was due for Silverstone. The British Grand Prix was another disaster for the reigning world champion.
Fabio Quartararo did not have the pace to fight at the top in Silverstone
After a disappointing end to the first half of the season in Assen, Fabio Quartararo was still optimistic about Silverstone even with his long lap penalty. The French rider was second in the 20 lap race until he served his penalty. Even though Fabio just lost 1.6 seconds serving the penalty, he went from second to fifth place. This further translated into a P8 as he wasn’t able to keep up and his rear tyre overheated while racing in the middle of the pack. Wrong tyre choice was one of the variables that led to Fabio Quartararo’s poor performance
After winning a world championship, it is understandable that the rider will be more relaxed while chasing for a second title. The main reason constituting for this being the massive amount of pressure that has been taken off his shoulders. Although one has to think, has the Frenchman been a bit too relaxed? In my opinion he has and needs to get into the zone otherwise it is very uncertain as to whether the French rider will win the title this season.
The 2022 MotoGP World Champion is slipping away from Fabio Quartararo with the charging Pecco Bagnaia and ever resilient Aleix Espargaro
The last two races have been absolute hell for Fabio Quartararo with crucial mistakes being made by him and Yamaha. All this translates into an easy gain for Pecco Bagnaia and Aleix Espargaro in terms of the championship. After having terrible luck in the first half of the season, Pecco Bagnaia is on a charge after winning the last two races and crucially decreasing the gap between him and Quartararo. The Italian rider has won 4 races in total this season and is currently placed 3rd in the standings with 131 points to his name.
Aleix Espargaro on the other hand has given Fabio Quartararo a tough challenge for the title. With a win in Argentina, the Aprilia rider has 158 points to his name and is just 22 points away from the world championship leader. This has proved to be great motivation for the Spaniard who has ridden like a hero in the past two races. After being shunted off by Quartararo, Aleix went on from P15 to finish 4th at Assen. The same followed in Silverstone where he finished just behind Quartararo even though he was in grave pain after crashing in FP4.
I think that Fabio Quartararo still has the hunger to win the world championship. Although if he keeps making these small mistakes, it is uncertain whether the rider will be able to win the championship. In the last few remaining races of the season, I expect to see a fully charged Quartararo and I will be disappointed with anything less. The Yamaha rider needs to work closely with his team and show some dedication if he intends to win the title this year. Only time will tell the outcome of this championship.
Who do you think will be the 2022 MotoGP world champion?
Also read : Why have Spain and Italy dominated MotoGP?
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Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)