Quartararo to start 2022 MotoGP Title Quest from P4
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo was pushing as hard as he could to get a favourable starting position for the 2022 MotoGP season showdown. He secured fourth place on the grid for tomorrow’s Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana. Franco Morbidelli had a strong start to the Q1 session, but the pace picked up, and he found himself in 16th place on the grid.
Valencia (Spain), 5th November 2022
Nobody could fault Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo for lack of trying in today’s Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana Q2 session. The 2021 World Champion was putting 100% effort into getting the best starting position possible for the 2022 MotoGP season finale. He secured P4, on the second row of the grid. Franco Morbidelli continuously improved his lap times throughout the 15-minute Q1 shoot-out. He will start tomorrow’s race from P16.
Quartararo was keen on a place on the front two rows of the starting grid. He kicked off Q2 with a 1’30.493s first try that put him in fourth. The pace picked up, however, so the Frenchman had work to do to maintain his position. He improved his time to a 1’30.254s, but still found himself in fifth place. A 1’30.135s on his last lap of Run 1 moved him back up to fourth.
Arriving at the box with six minutes remaining, El Diablo had a quick debrief with Crew Chief Diego Gubellini. With a fresh set of tyres, Quartararo was soon back on his way. He exited pit lane with four and a half minutes still on the clock, giving him just enough time for three more flying laps. He moved up from tenth place to sixth on his next lap and kept pushing. He set a 1’29.900s on his second attempt and was back in fourth. He went all in on his final flyer but ran outside of the track limit and into the gravel in Turn 2, ending his challenge. He finished the session in fourth place, 0.279s from first.
Morbidelli started Q1 strong, with a good performance on his first run. He briefly topped the session with a 1’30.981s benchmark lap before settling into fourth place after all riders had finished their first attempt. His next hot lap had him in second place for a short while too, but he later found himself in fifth place again. The Yamaha rider improved once more, moving up to fourth before he hurried back to the garage.
The Italian cruised into pit lane with over seven minutes remaining, and saw he needed to find 0.327s to secure a place in the top 2 at that time. Two minutes later he started Run 2, resuming his mission. He improved again twice, posting a 1’30.504s personal best time. It put him in 6th place in the Q1 results, 0.414s from first, and in 16th position on the grid.
Quartararo was keen on a place on the front two rows of the starting grid. He kicked off Q2 with a 1’30.493s first try that put him in fourth. The pace picked up, however, so the Frenchman had work to do to maintain his position. He improved his time to a 1’30.254s, but still found himself in fifth place. A 1’30.135s on his last lap of Run 1 moved him back up to fourth.
Arriving at the box with six minutes remaining, El Diablo had a quick debrief with Crew Chief Diego Gubellini. With a fresh set of tyres, Quartararo was soon back on his way. He exited pit lane with four and a half minutes still on the clock, giving him just enough time for three more flying laps. He moved up from tenth place to sixth on his next lap and kept pushing. He set a 1’29.900s on his second attempt and was back in fourth. He went all in on his final flyer but ran outside of the track limit and into the gravel in Turn 2, ending his challenge. He finished the session in fourth place, 0.279s from first.
Morbidelli started Q1 strong, with a good performance on his first run. He briefly topped the session with a 1’30.981s benchmark lap before settling into fourth place after all riders had finished their first attempt. His next hot lap had him in second place for a short while too, but he later found himself in fifth place again. The Yamaha rider improved once more, moving up to fourth before he hurried back to the garage.
The Italian cruised into pit lane with over seven minutes remaining, and saw he needed to find 0.327s to secure a place in the top 2 at that time. Two minutes later he started Run 2, resuming his mission. He improved again twice, posting a 1’30.504s personal best time. It put him in 6th place in the Q1 results, 0.414s from first, and in 16th position on the grid.
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
Franco Morbidelli
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider