19 Nov, 2023
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo stretched the legs of his YZR-M1 in the 22-lap Grand Prix of Qatar Race. He made up a total of six places to take 7th at the chequered flag. Franco Morbidelli had a good start but struggled to push like he wanted to. He engaged in a tough battle for 15th place, but ultimately finished 16th.
Lusail (Qatar), 19th November 2023
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo made the most of his pace at the Lusail International Circuit in this evening’s Grand Prix of Qatar Race. He fought his way through the pack to take 7th place. Franco Morbidelli didn’t have the performance he had hoped for. Still, he put up a good fight for a championship point before ultimately finishing in 16th place.
Quartararo had a better start than yesterday from P13, he and was up to eleventh after the first lap. He took five laps to get past Marco Bezzecchi and then had a nearly 1s gap to four riders fighting for sixth. The Frenchman was chasing compatriot Johann Zarco, and by the midway stage he made his move. El Diablo was then right behind Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez. Martin and Quartararo together breezed past Marc Marquez, and the Yamaha man then immediately launched an attack on Martin for seventh.
With clear air in front of him, the number-20 put his head down. He had to make up 2.5s to join the riders fighting for fourth at the time, but Quartararo doesn’t mind hard work. He managed to close down the gap and was stalking Alex Marquez on the final lap but came just short of being able to put in an overtaking manoeuvre. He finished in seventh place, 0.208s from the rider ahead and 7.828s from first.
Morbidelli got a clean first lap in this time round. Starting from P18 on the grid, he pushed to 13th place. After six laps, he engaged in a battle with a charging Enea Bastianini. The Yamaha man initially stood firm but ultimately had to relinquish his position and also lost a place to Joan Mir halfway through the race. The last half of his race consisted of an on and off battle with Raul Fernandez. Though Morbido managed to come out victorious, he did lose a position to Augusto Fernandez in the final stages. He crossed the finish line in 16th place, 0.019s behind Augusto Fernandez and 21.474s from the race winner.
Today’s results see Quartararo stay 9th in the overall standings with 167 points. Morbidelli remains in 13th with 93 points. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team keep their 7th place in the team championship with 260 points, and Yamaha holds on to 4th position in the constructor’s championship with 187 points.
The teammates will be back in action next week for the final round of the 2023 MotoGP season. The Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana will be held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo from 24th - 26th November.
