French star’s home GP goes from promising to problematic after crashing and then disobeying Marshalls
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo will serve a 10-minute penalty in the British Grand Prix’s opening free practice session after failing to follow marshal instructions following his crash during Sunday’s French MotoGP.
Race Direction handed down the punishment in the wake of Quartararo’s early exit at Le Mans, where he fell at Turn 14 just four laps into his home race. The 2021 MotoGP World Champion also copped a €2,000 fine for the incident.
It’s a bitter postscript to what had started as a dream weekend for the Frenchman. After claiming a rare pole position and showing strong pace out front in sketchy mixed conditions, Quartararo looked on course for a podium push.
“When it started
to rain, I really went for it – pushed like hell straight from the beginning,” Quartararo said.
“I got through the first few laps and was close to Marc [Marquez], but the rain picked up a little and I just lost the front. There was no rear slide warning… nothing.”
Despite the crash and the subsequent penalty, Quartararo remained upbeat about Yamaha’s form, praising both his qualifying performance and the team’s improvements.
“It’s disappointing, but I think we gave our maximum this weekend. It’s always unpredictable at Le Mans – rain, stop, light drops – it can change in a moment.
“But honestly, I enjoyed the weekend. We showed great pace and proper lap times.”
Quartararo admitted the race unfolded under difficult circumstances after he made the decision to switch bikes, earning himself a double long-lap penalty in the process.
“Starting from there was complicated,” he said. “But I still think starting on slicks was the right call – we were pretty quick early on. I took a gamble and pushed hard, got a bit of a gap, but unfortunately we lost it.”
The Le Mans crowd – estimated to be record-breaking once again this year – received high praise from the local hero.
“The atmosphere was just unbelievable,” he said. “From Thursday, the fans were cheering full-on. It’s amazing to see that level of support here in France.”
Quartararo also saluted fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco, who went on to win the race and claim France’s first MotoGP victory on home soil for 71 years.
“I didn’t get the result I wanted,” Quartararo said, “but I can imagine how it felt for Johann. Big congrats to him.”
Quartararo will now head to the British GP at Silverstone with a penalty hanging over his start to the weekend – a frustrating subplot to what had promised to be a homecoming triumph.
