There’s one man on everybody’s lips at the Red Bull Grand Prix of Spain: Fabio Quartararo. And it’s easy to see why. Fresh from a first MotoGP™ win of the season in spectacular fashion, Monster Energy Yamaha’s reigning World Champion arrives at a circuit he’s dominated at in the past two years. With back-to-back wins in 2020, before his hopes of a hat-trick were dashed in 2021 by arm pump, on his Jerez resume, there’s no doubting he’s the man to beat. His nearest title rivals though, whilst speaking at Thursday’s Press Conference, said they’re expecting a close fight.
THE CHAMPION
Quartararo was untouchable in Jerez in 2020 and 2021. He won both races two years ago by a combined margin of 10.1 seconds, and he was already edging towards being two seconds clear of Jack Miller before arm pump struck last season. So does he feel he has some unfinished business to deliver this weekend?
“Payback? I will say no,” started the defending World Champion. “Because basically, it was not an issue with the bike, it was an issue from my side. I would say that I am arriving much more prepared. The surgery I had last year was perfect, so, of course, I feel we can go super-fast but we need to work on a normal weekend. I feel we have the potential to fight for the victory but we need to do it step-by-step, first Friday and then we will see our speed.