MotoGP: Quartarao Wins In Portimao, Claim Championship Lead!
Fabio Quartararo grabs his second win from the 2021 MotoGP season having a spectacular ride on Sunday in Portimao.
The Yamaha factory rider now leads the championship standings after Johann Zarco crashed out at Turn 10, ending his chance of adding the 40 pts he claimed after two races in Qatar.
Despite starting from pole, Quartararo had to fight his way up from sixth place after losing his spot after Turn 1.
However, after just three laps, he was back in contention, piling pressure on Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Pramac’s Zarco.
The 21-year old managed to overtake his opponents and lead those, with simply Rins in a position to chase him down.
However, heading into the final five laps, Rins lost his front grip at Turn 4 and immediately crashed out of the race, giving Quartararo an appropriate win.
Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia bagged his second podium of the season as he finished runner-up, accompanied by defending champion Suzuki’s Joan Mir.
Speaking to the press following the race, Quartararo admitted he feels confident with the YZR-M1 pace.
“I knew that we had a tiny bit extra pace compared to Alex [Rins]. He was running so fast but he made a mistake.
“But honestly, the pace that people set today was unexpected from myself, however it feels great to savor this track, this excellent track,” he explained.
Apart from a better Factory-spec, Quartararo admitted he's mentally stronger than last season.
“Yamaha designed a big step compared to this past year. But for me mentally I feel stronger.
“Last year after Aragon we pretty much lost the chance to fight until the end with Joan [Mir] for that championship. I had been much more frustrated that we lost that moment.
“But I’ve learned a lot. When the bike was not going so great, I had been always thinking negatively, however i completely changed this, and now I’m always thinking positively, which I think is excellent,” added the 21-year-old.
