        Fabio Quartararo is not having an easy time of it lately. Hindered by an M1 in difficulty, the Frenchman has seen his championship lead over Pecco Bagnaia shrink race after race to the point that now, with two races to go, he finds himself trailing 14 points behind the Italian. As we&rsquo;ve said, there are many factors working against the current world champion right now, from the impressive performance of the Ducati fleet to Fabio&rsquo;s complicated mental state, added to which there is a rather negative statistic. If we look back at the last three years, we see that Quartararo has never managed to win any of the last six races of the season. The &lsquo;curse&rsquo; began in 2020, when a fabulous season start was followed by a dramatic drop in the final stages, his best result an eighth place finish at the Teruel GP, which led to a final result of eighth in the general standings. A script that doesn't change The following year went better, the year he secured his first reigning class title. The Frenchman had to fend off attacks from Pecco Bagnaia, with two podiums at Misano 1 and Austin helping him to do just that before he won the championship at the next round. And the same goes for this season, telling us that perhaps the trend is more than just a coincidence. After scoring seven podiums to date this season, the Frenchman is now suffering a low and has not seen a podium finish between Aragon and now, having scored just eight points in four races. A trend that highlights just how much the season finale, and the related increase in pressure and significance, continues to be a problem for Fabio. Is this the final step he needs to take to become the perfect rider? Perhaps, but right now there&rsquo;s a world championship to chase all the way to the final flag. Traslated by Heather Watson MOTOGP, THE CLINICA MOBILE CONFIRMS ITS DEPARTURE: "TAKEN BY SURPRISE, WE&rsquo;LL SEEK OUT NEW CHALLENGES&rdquo;       

THE STATS - between 2020 and now the Frenchman has never won during the season finale: he&rsquo;ll need to turn that trend around to secure the title

MotoGP: Quartararo and the curse of the last six championship races

        The last Thai round was one to forget for Fabio Quartararo, who ran the entire race outside of the points zone. A significant &lsquo;zero&rsquo; for the Frenchman then, who is now just two points ahead of a Francesco Bagnaia who is fighting fight and has a very high-performance Ducati. There are three races to go, the first of which is set to play out this weekend at the famous Phillip Island circuit. The Frenchman is ready for a new challenge Quartararo has also been taking a break from social media since the Thai race so as focus 100% on his racing and the last three decisive rounds that await. Prior to the Australian round, he comments: &ldquo;The result in Thailand was very disappointing. Straight after that I started focusing to prepare for this final part of the season. I&rsquo;ve spent the week training and preparing because the next two rounds are consecutive and will be really important, but I&rsquo;m not worried.&rdquo; The championship situation is delicate, particularly if we consider that Quartararo held a 91-point lead over the Italian after the German GP. The Yamaha rider states: "We&rsquo;re neck and neck now so we just have to do our best, work well as a team and score as many points as possible&rdquo;. These are the only aspects he can control, and he has good memories of Phillip Island after finishing second there in 2019. The race will be challenging, also considering the competitiveness of Aleix Espargar&oacute;, Marc Marquez and the other Ducati riders who won't exactly be holding back. Traslated by Heather Watson       

The Frenchman admits that he&rsquo;s well prepared for Phillip Island, where he&rsquo;s in for a head-to-head with Francesco Bagnaia

MotoGP, Quartararo: “We’re neck and neck, but I’m not worried”

        Almost everyone has at least one social media profile, whether Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or the more modern Twich and Tik Tok. The virtual world essentially goes hand in hand with the real world and provides an escape from daily life, although this can be a good or bad thing depending on how it&rsquo;s used. Almost all public figures, sportspersons included, have a social profile via which to communicate with their fans, but this tool can at times become harmful, intolerable. Something that Francesco Bagnaia hinted at in a recent interview, and something that Fabio Quartararo has recently demonstrated. Using this tool makes the difference It&rsquo;s one thing to share an adventure or a thought with your followers and engage in polite conversation, but quite another to receive messages of frustration from people you don&rsquo;t actually know, the so-called &ldquo;haters&rdquo;. Social media is definitely a double-edged sword and Bagnaia himself, just a few days ago, said as much during an interview with Alessandro Cattelan: &ldquo;I&rsquo;d have liked to race in an era when social media didn&rsquo;t exist, it would all have been easier&rdquo;. This says a lot about the bearing social media can have on a rider. And Quartararo has demonstrated this by deactivating his Instagram after a disappointing race in Thailand and despite the fact he's generally quite active on this channel. &ldquo;El Diablo&rdquo; often shares fun content and images of his training or his adventures with friends, not least best mate Tom and rally driver Dani Sordo. But not this time. His profile currently looks like this:  &nbsp; Time for a detox At such a delicate time in championship terms, Quartararo doesn&rsquo;t feel like interfacing with the virtual world, knowing that he needs to put the anger and disappointment behind him so as to be in the best mental shape for the Australian GP. And so he has decided that the best thing is to take some time out, as Bagnaia does on a regular basis in fact, leaving sister Carola to manage his profile and preferring not to be influenced by a world that is becoming increasingly savage. Already for us ordinary people, let alone for them. Traslated by Heather Watson MOTOGP, ALEX MARQUEZ LOOKS TO THE FUTURE: &ldquo;I&rsquo;LL HAVE NO EXCUSES WITH THE DUCATI&rdquo;       

Today&rsquo;s riders have to deal with these new tools, which can be a double-edged sword even for ordinary people, let alone for them

MotoGP, what bearing does social media have on the riders?

        It&rsquo;s Friday 26 August, and time for a morning comparison! Today we&rsquo;re looking at the MotoGP class, the most followed and hotly debated. And we select two well-known faces, the first of which still races, the other with four-wheelers. Their names are Fabio Quartararo and Valentino Rossi, apparently dissimilar, and yet they have at least one thing in common - Yamaha.&nbsp; Vale and El Diablo, different arrivals at Yamaha  In 2003 Vale was successfully riding for Honda and, while putting together his fifth world title, was &lsquo;called&rsquo; up to the Iwata court. Or rather, the parties would hold secret meetings in the paddock, before Davide Brivio ultimately travelled to Ibiza to convince the Italian ace. Lengthy talks and initial contact between Rossi and the M1 finally led to a decision &ndash; we Japanese choose you, do you, man in yellow, choose us? And we know exactly how it went. Number 46 left Repsol HRC at the end of the season, to wear blue the following year. And it was an immediate success. There were less secrets, tensions and &lsquo;distractions&rsquo; when the Frenchman landed in Yamaha&rsquo;s orbit. Firstly, El Diablo was still racing in Moto2 when he was offered the M1. It was 2018 and the Frenchman was with the Speed Up team. His move to the reigning class came about thanks to team Petronas, a non-factory team with which Quarta would complete three seasons, coming close to the title win in 2020. &nbsp;A record Rossi, a progressive Fabio  As we&rsquo;ve said, Valentino won right away. Remember Welkom 2004? At the inaugural round, Rossi showed everyone how it was done, powering the much criticised M1 to victory. But the M1 had changed in the meantime as Brivio, as well as offering vast sums of money, promised a shakeup of the racing department, a totally revised engine, constant updates, Jeremy Burgess&rsquo; team (already with the rider at Honda) and Michelin tyres. In accepting, all the Italian had to do was &lsquo;twist the throttle&rsquo;, and that is just what he did. He secured the title that season, and again in 2005, setting records left, right and centre, for both Yamaha and himself. Fabio was young when he arrived at Petronas SRT, with everything to learn, about the category, yes, and the bike, sure, but also about his rivals and the tracks&hellip; Among the highs and lows of 2019 came podiums, specifically third and second place finishes. The rider who had come to Moto3 by way of a special agreement, despite the age limits not permitting it, soon showed that he was deserving of the Iwata bike. And the highest step of the rostrum? That came in 2020, on three occasions, when he looked to be on his way to the crown. But then came mistake after mistake, and his mission failed. It took the 2021 season to cancel out that disappointment and confirm his talent. Quartararo brought the Japanese manufacturer the desired result, a first for the French nation in the reigning class. And comparisons with Rossi began to be drawn.&nbsp; Rossi, Quarta and their team-mates  Almost all have been humiliated by both, but a little history is needed here. In 2004 and 2005 this was the case for Carlos Checa, Norifumi Abe, Marco Melandri, Colin Edwards, Toni Elias and Ruben Xaus. While they failed to score even one race win, Vale amassed twenty. An open and shut case. But then things began to change. Rossi secured the title again in 2008 and 2009 but the numbers looked different, as Jorge Lorenzo had arrived, loudly proclaiming his ambitions, despite a wall separating the riders in the factory garage. The Majorcan triumphed in 2010, assisted also by an injury for the Italian at Mugello. For the first time, this passing of the baton highlighted Jorge&rsquo;s hunger, with the rider doing it again in 2012 and 2015. Vale moved to Ducati, then returned to the M1. There were a few more race wins, but no more titles. When Quarta came to Yamaha SRT, Maverick Vinales was still performing at a high level. During the 2019 season, the Catalan rider scored two wins with the M1, Fabio zero. In 2020, the brand&rsquo;s standout rider proved to be Franco Morbidelli, who won three races and came very close to the ultimate prize. Fabio started strong, reaching the front only to plummet to eighth place. But then in 2021, he was able to maintain peak performance, while Maverick scored one win and Rossi and Dovizioso not even that. Yamaha can smile, but only thanks to the Frenchman. Fabio and Vale today  Quartararo is the reference point for the Japanese brand today. There&rsquo;s no room for anyone else. Only Fabio knows how to ride the M1 to the limit and only he can power it to victory. Franco Morbidelli is a shadow of his former self, Andrea Dovizioso is about to retire, Darryn Binder is experiencing MotoGP like something of a &lsquo;hit and run&rsquo;. Essentially the Frenchman is in the same situation as Rossi in 2004-5, when no one except Valentino was strong aboard the M1. The Italian is now a dad, he races cars and has fun training with the VR46 Academy. When he can, he visits the world championship paddock. At 43, the most successful rider of the modern age takes it all in, the numbers, the riders&rsquo; performance, the championship situation. Who knows if Vale would be pleased to be compared to Quarta. We&rsquo;ll ask him ourselves next time we see him. Traslated by Heather Watson Ducati, only Bagnaia has conquered the MotoGP &ldquo;primadonna&rdquo;       

As was the case for Valentino in his early years with the Iwata manufacturer, Fabio is the only rider able to fully exploit the M1. The Italian&rsquo;s colleagues performed on a par with those of El Diablo

Quartararo like Rossi in Yamaha: a possible comparison in MotoGP?

        Fabio Quartararo lies respectively 21 and 66 points ahead of Aleix Espargaro (second) and Francesco Bagnaia (fourth), the Frenchman holding a solid lead mid-way through the championship. He committed a first serious mistake at Assen but nevertheless headed off on holiday safe in the knowledge that he still has a comfortable advantage. With that in mind, we've taken a look at the stats and one thing is very clear - to date, 85% of world champions were already lying first at the mid-way point. But that remaining 15% is a figure not to be underestimated. 2008 between Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa  Falling into this latter category is Valentino Rossi, during the 2008 season. Mid-season, he was lying second, just four points behind Dani Pedrosa but went on to win the title, his third with Yamaha. The Spaniard&rsquo;s crash in Germany followed by injury to his left hand and right ankle meant that he was no longer able to fight and the Doctor was crowned champion three rounds ahead of time, in Japan. Lorenzo&rsquo;s last title and Mir&rsquo;s win fall into the 15%  Another case that bucks the trend is that of Jorge Lorenzo in 2015. At the mid-way point, he was lying thirteen points behind then team-mate Rossi. That year, we watched a long battle that continued right to the end, the Majorcan ultimately winning the title by just five points at the final Valencia round. And then there&rsquo;s 2020, when a consistent Joan Mir secured the title, despite having placed just fourth mid-season, behind Andrea Dovizioso, Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales. In the second half of the season he was able to score more than twice the points of the Frenchman, with four podiums, which included his first win. As of now, there are still 225 points up for grabs, with new pages of motorcycle history set to be written during the last nine races. And once it&rsquo;s over, we&rsquo;ll see exactly which of the two percentages has grown. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Yamaha is already working with a view to 2023       

At the mid-way point, the Frenchman maintains a solid lead, but the past has taught us just how situations can change&hellip;

MotoGP, will Quartararo win the 2022 title? Here’s what the stats say

Yamaha is very much in the spotlight as it experiences a less than happy time in MotoGP. Although, on the one hand, it has Fabio Quartararo who currently leads the championship and has won three races, on the other hand, team-mate Franco Morbidelli and the two WithU riders are struggling to finish top ten. The M1 is in need of important changes and, to this end, the engineers in Japan are already hard at work, having made the Frenchman a series of promises from a technical standpoint that led to his contract renewal.  Yamaha looks ahead to 2023   So, while El Diablo and &ldquo;Morbido&rdquo; are enjoying their summer break, training and taking vacations before they will return to the track at Silverstone on 7 August, Yamaha has rolled up its sleeves and is working with test rider Cal Crutchlow at Motegi. The Englishman has carried out several tests aboard the M1 and although we have no further details as yet, it&rsquo;s clear that Yamaha wants to offer its riders a more powerful and competitive bike next season.  Quartararo the jewel in Yamaha&rsquo;s crown   During the 2022 season, only Quartararo is able to ride around the problems, with his clean style and ability to make minimal mistakes. But Assen brought his first serious error, his attempts to make up for the weaknesses of the M1 resulting in his first zero of the season. He now has nine races in which to battle for the title against an Aprilia that has everything it needs in the hands of Aleix Espargar&oacute;, and the Ducati, the riders of which are struggling to remain consistent. But anything can happen in motorcycling, as we well know...  Translated by Heather Watson  Moto2, Canet talks about his past: &ldquo;I was bulimic, I considered retiring&rdquo; 

Fabio Quartararo&rsquo;s renewal comes as a result of a plan that aims to meet his technical needs, and the Iwata manufacturer is wasting no time

MotoGP, Yamaha is already working with a view to 2023

        With Valentino Rossi having left the paddock, the role of most successful and charismatic MotoGP rider is taken up by Marc Marquez, with his eight world titles. And so the fact that the Spaniard is absent, ruled out until his arm recovers fully following the 2020 incident at Jerez, &nbsp;weighs on the economics of a championship that is hard-fought but currently missing one of its biggest stars. Quartararo vs Marquez  Fabio Quartararo knows this well and is keen to battle with the grid&rsquo;s most successful rider again, just as he did on various occasions in 2019. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m ready to fight him now. I&rsquo;d like him to come back, firstly because I get on well with him and because I don&rsquo;t want any riders to have physical problems&rdquo;, comments the current champion while talking to Dazn Spain, &ldquo;and also because Marquez is the rider who&rsquo;s taught me the most.&rdquo; The 2019 example  The Yamaha factory rider goes on to explain how battling Marquez in 2019 allowed him to hone his riding style. &ldquo;[I&rsquo;m talking about] the two races I did in Thailand and Misano, 25 laps in his slipstream without any big mistakes are situations where you really learn a lot.&rdquo; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s incredible what I&rsquo;ve learned from him and what&rsquo;s stuck with me&rdquo;, continues El Diablo, before considering his main rivals for the 2022 title: "Who&rsquo;s the most dangerous? Before the season started, I&rsquo;d have said Pecco Bagnaia, but he&rsquo;s lost a lot of points recently. I think the most consistent performer is Aleix Espargaro". Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Dall&rsquo;Igna: &ldquo;Oliveira? Ducati likes him, but it didn&rsquo;t come together with Gresini&rdquo;       

The current world champion speaks of his rivalry with the Spaniard, who&rsquo;s currently out of action following a fourth operation on his arm

MotoGP, Quartararo: “I’d like to battle with Marquez, he’s taught me so much”

        Zero points and a long lap penalty at the next round. This is what Assen brought Fabio Quartararo, who does not agree. Or rather, after having accepted the blame for the crash, it seems that the Frenchman is not happy with the penalty inflicted on him by race direction. After taking no action on several previous occasions - Nakagami at Barcelona for example, they have come down hard on the current champion. Fabio&rsquo;s outburst  &ldquo;Now you cannot try an overtake - writes Quartararo in an Instagram story &ndash; because they think you are too ambitious. From the beginning of the year some riders made &lsquo;racing incidents&rsquo; but apparently mine was too dangerous&rdquo;. It&rsquo;s not hard to work out to whom the Yamaha rider is directing his words, the Frenchman voicing his disagreement very clearly. &ldquo;Congratulations to the stewards for the amazing job you are doing&rdquo;, continues Quartararo, &ldquo;next time I won&rsquo;t try any overtaking, to avoid any penalty. Great holidays and see you at Silverstone&rdquo;. Strong words from Fabio, which are already firing up the second part of the season. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Dorna makes pre-emptive change to Japan GP schedule       

Fabio on Instagram: "Other riders have had racing incidents, apparently mine was too dangerous"

Quartararo against the Stewards Panel: “Congratulations, I won’t try to overtake again”

        Fabio Quartararo&rsquo;s first mistake of the season came at the most unexpected time. During the Assen GP, the Frenchman made an error of judgement as he attempted to pass Aleix Espargar&oacute;. The Yamaha rider overdid it on entering the turn, crashing and hitting the Spaniard in the progress, a chain of events that had a real impact on the Aprilia rider, who was then forced to play catch up from the back of the field. In light of this, race direction has decided to punish the championship leader, who was found guilty of having gone too far. Long lap penalty to be served during the next GP  During the next Silverstone GP, Quartararo will have to complete a long lap penalty, in virtue of the damage he caused to his Aprilia rival in carrying out a move that race direction deemed to be &ldquo;overly ambitious&rdquo;. A race that will start with something of an uphill climb for the Frenchman then, who will be keen to make up for the mistake made at Assen. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Dorna makes pre-emptive change to Japan GP schedule       

Race Direction has decided to punish the Frenchman for his attempt to overtake, a move that had a serious impact on Aleix Espargar&oacute;&rsquo;s race&nbsp; &nbsp;

MotoGP: penalty for Fabio Quartararo, to be served during the Silverstone GP

        A matter of grip. This is what Quartararo is thinking as Friday draws to a close at Barcelona, the riders forced to deal with the (lack of) grip that the Catalonian track offers. In these particular conditions, there are winners and losers, and the Frenchman appears to belong to the second group. &ldquo;There are bikes that adapt better to today&rsquo;s conditions, for sure, but conditions were really not good in my opinion. When you put in fresh tyres, it&rsquo;s like they&rsquo;ve already done ten laps, so it&rsquo;s hard to improve. We knew we&rsquo;d struggle in cases with poor grip, just as we knew that Aprilia would be quick in the same conditions. I can feel I&rsquo;m slow, but at the same time I also feel like I can&rsquo;t go any quicker, because through some corners I open the throttle but just don&rsquo;t go. I&rsquo;ve ridden well, but slowly&rdquo;. Quartararo: "I hope things change between now and Sunday"  Are you optimistic ahead of the race? &ldquo;If we raced today, I&rsquo;d have to limit the damage, but we know that grip on track improves as the laps go on, if it doesn&rsquo;t rain, so we hope that conditions on Sunday allow me to have better pace. Aleix is a lot faster, despite his tyres also dropping as the laps go by&rdquo;. Are you worried about the duration of the tyres for the race? &ldquo;Not particularly, I&rsquo;m just worried about being very slow. It&rsquo;s hard to know you have the potential but can&rsquo;t exploit it due to the track conditions&rdquo;. Morbidelli is closer to you now. Do you know why? &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure. I think it&rsquo;s just a matter of grip at this track, where you often have to wait a long time before opening the throttle, which mixes things up in terms of the playing field&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson Moto2: Pedro Acosta denies comparisons with Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez       

The Frenchman blames the asphalt: "There is very little grip, I open the throttle and don&rsquo;t go. I can feel that I&rsquo;m slow"

Catalan GP, Quartararo: “If we raced today, I’d just have to limit the damage”

        Having finished seventeenth at the Spanish GP, Andrea Dovizioso still only has 8 points after the first six races of the season. A number that a veteran rider like him cannot possibly be happy with, but the Italian has never found the right feeling with the team WithU RNF Yamaha M1. Nothing new, but Dovizioso has clear ideas  The race was immediately followed by a test day, Dovi commenting: &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t have any material to test and focused on distributing weight on the bike. Things went a little better, not so much as to be able to say &ldquo;I can ride differently&rdquo;, but what we did test allowed me to brake a little better&rdquo;. &nbsp;Despite having the latest version of the Yamaha, he didn&rsquo;t test the swingarm, unlike the two factory riders: &ldquo;There were few new parts and only the factory team tested those&rdquo;. The Italian&rsquo;s experience means he is convinced of one thing: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t need a swingarm to have better grip. These are finishes, not changes. We need more time, if they decide to do it.&rdquo; The man leading is (rightly) Quartararo  Dovi believes there&rsquo;s only one way to turn things around and find more grip: &ldquo;We need to make big changes. No one knows exactly what to do and how, but we need to start&rdquo;. But it&rsquo;s also true that his needs are different to those of the current championship leader: &ldquo;They&rsquo;re focusing on satisfying Fabio Quartararo and rightly so, as he&rsquo;s fighting for the title this season. That&rsquo;s fine. You&rsquo;re not going to put all your energies into something that isn&rsquo;t a priority for him. I understand&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson Exclusive, Melandri: &ldquo;Suzuki a new Hayate? Why not?!&rdquo;       

All of the Iwata manufacturer&rsquo;s efforts are focused on Fabio Quartararo, but the Italian has clear ideas as to how the M1 should be modified &nbsp;

MotoGP, how to turn Yamaha’s fortunes around? Dovizioso’s view

        Somewhat surprisingly, Fabio Quartararo dominated the Portugal GP, running away with the win at the Portimao circuit, and this victory could prove very important in terms of the market. Nothing is yet defined for 2023, and although he didn&rsquo;t turn his nose up at Honda&rsquo;s &lsquo;advances&rsquo; a few weeks ago, Yamaha is doing its best to woo him. Jarvis&rsquo; optimism about the renewal  Yamaha principal director Lin Jarvis has confirmed this, telling Sky Sport: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re still talking, but I&rsquo;m optimistic, I think he should stay with us&rdquo;. The goal is clear then, to retain the only rider who is able to fully exploit the potential of the M1, who was crowned champion with them last year and who is currently leading the championship. The strongest rider the Iwata manufacturer has right now. Will it be tough to convince him to stay? The Frenchman has said he&rsquo;s not fully satisfied with the development, but the image we publish here, taken from Sunday&rsquo;s press release, tells of a renewed composure. Jarvis comments on Portimao and Jerez  Quartararo was phenomenal in the Portimao Race, Jarvis commenting: &ldquo;The circuit favours both us and his riding style. Our strength is entering the corners and maintaining our speed through the long turns, even when leant over. In the fourth sector, he was gaining two or three tenths&rdquo;. And in conclusion: &ldquo;He ran a perfect race and I can&rsquo;t wait for Jerez. It&rsquo;s a great track for him and us. Our championship has begun&rdquo;. The feeling is excellent ahead of the sixth round of the championship then, both on paper and in terms of mood; might the two parties perhaps come to an agreement after the upcoming weekend? Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP 2023, Jack Miller and Ducati close to a renewal?       

The director of the Iwata team has commented on Yamaha&rsquo;s position regarding the current champion and next season

2023 MotoGP market, Lin Jarvis talks Fabio Quartararo’s renewal

        The start of the 2022 season has brought a turnaround for two well-known faces in the MotoGP World Championship. The first is 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo, and the second is former Yamaha rider, Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales. The two former team-mates seem to be experiencing very different situations compared to last season. The Frenchman, so happy with the Iwata manufacturer last year, is now crying bitter tears, while the Spaniard appears much more serene after moving to the Noale manufacturer. Quartararo and a situation that needs to change as soon as possible  How much can the MotoGP World Championship change, from one year to the next? A great deal it seems. The start of the season is once again highlighting the unpredictability of the championship. While the end of the 2021 season saw Fabio Quartararo celebrating the world title with his M1, this year the Frenchman seems increasingly inclined to leave the blue team. Sure, he scored a good result in Indonesia, where he was able to finish second despite the rain. But this has been the only positive result in three races, in that he finished ninth in Qatar and eighth in Argentina. Not to mention the championship standings as, although we&rsquo;re still only at the start of the season and anything can happen, he lies fifth with 35 points to date. In recent years, with no one specific leader dominating all races from start to finish, one factor has become crucial, and that is that consistency pays off. And so if Fabio is unable to win the races, he will need to finish at least top five to be in with a chance of the title. Something that is not happening right now. Already during pre-season testing, Quartararo had expressed his dissatisfaction with the M1, the top speed of which is not in line with that of the competition, but now the waters in Iwata are increasingly muddy, with the French rider being courted by various other teams. After the Argentinian race, the rider himself commented: &ldquo;A change of team is something to consider. My future is not clear, so I need to think carefully and take my time&rdquo;. Vi&ntilde;ales has made the right choice  And talking about consistent results, who is leading the way in the championship standings? Aprilia rider Aleix Espargar&oacute; who, thanks to a win in Argentina and a fourth and ninth place in Qatar and Indonesia, can feel satisfied, particularly thanks to an RS-GP and a team that is finally up at the sharp end and fighting on equal terms with its rivals. And, like Aleix, Vi&ntilde;ales also has reason to celebrate, the door to happiness having once again opened after the difficulties and frustration with Yamaha, the split and his arrival at Aprilia. He is still adapting to a bike that is very different to the Yamaha of course, but Maverick is definitely not short on talent and can achieve anything he wants with the RS-GP. While last year saw him crying bitter tears, the rider feeling as if the team did not really value him, he has nothing to worry about with Aprilia. It looks as if he and Quartararo have essentially reversed roles, the Spaniard now happy after a very tough period, and the Frenchman currently dealing with a number of issues that clearly don&rsquo;t facilitate his work. Will he too need to leave Yamaha in order to be able to smile once more? Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP Americas, Official: Marquez will be there, Texas awaits       

The French Yamaha rider is unhappy, just as Vi&ntilde;ales was last year on the same team. The move to Aprilia has given the Spaniard his smile back, considering also the growth of the Noale team which culminated in a win at Argentina

MotoGP: Viñales-Quartararo role reversal - who’s smiling now?

        Fabio Quartararo starts over from the Indonesian GP. With the first race in Qatar behind him, one in which he failed to meet with expectation and felt frustrated with his ninth-place finish, it&rsquo;s now time to turn the page and the Mandalika circuit seems like the ideal place to do just that. The Yamaha rider appeared in great shape during pre-season testing at this track, setting the second fastest time overall. But will he be as productive this weekend? Quartararo: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m keen to make a fresh start here&rdquo;  &ldquo;It was really hard in Qatar &ndash; begins the Frenchman during the press conference &ndash; I expected a lot more, but it&rsquo;s true that we hadn&rsquo;t had the three test days, and we were lacking grip too. I gave it my all in the race, but the front pressure wasn&rsquo;t right. So I&rsquo;m keen to start over here. We were quick in testing at Mandalika and so we&rsquo;ll see what we can do&rdquo;. And Quartararo is quick to respond to those asking when they&rsquo;ll see the real Yamaha on track: &ldquo;The real Yamaha is the one you saw in Qatar! I wasn&rsquo;t feeling anything totally new on the bike, we&rsquo;ll see how this race goes. It will be important to keep an eye on the aerodynamics too.&rdquo; Seeking redemption at Mandalika  The current world champion looks to be one of the favourites at this track, considering the February tests that saw him place second behind Pol Espargar&oacute;: &ldquo;Many things have changed compared to the tests, the tyres for example. But I felt good here and also had good pace. We already know the ratios and the track, but we don&rsquo;t know what to expect for the race. I think it will be important to make the right tyre choice already tomorrow, so that we can work with those we&rsquo;ll use in the race&rdquo;. Quartararo: &ldquo;It was hard to accept a race like that of Qatar&rdquo;  Lastly, Quartararo is asked about his pre-race rituals: &ldquo;I like to listen to music &ndash; he explains &ndash; and then, when I go out on the track, I like to speak with the team and make jokes because if I focus only on the race I get anxious&rdquo;. And, in effect, Fabio has had a lot of stress to deal with after the first race of 2022: &ldquo;When I said I wanted to smash everything it was a joke of course, but I was frustrated. The pace hadn&rsquo;t been bad during practice but we were unable to take steps forward in the race. It was a tough weekend, it&rsquo;s not easy to accept, but now I feel ready, I know we need to come back strong and demonstrate our potential at this track&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Rossi and the Razali &ldquo;curse&rdquo;: &ldquo;You won&rsquo;t win again&rdquo;       

The French rider has said he was very frustrated after the first race but that he&rsquo;s now ready to turn the page and give it his all in Indonesia, where he completed strong pre-season tests

GP Indonesia, Quartararo: “The real Yamaha is what you saw in Qatar”

        Every rider&rsquo;s goal is to become world champion and last year Fabio Quartararo was able to do just that, securing the title with consistency and conviction and returning the trophy to Yamaha for the first time in six years. His relationship with the M1 has always been solid, but it now looks as if things are no longer moving in the right direction. That ninth-place finish in Qatar, along with the rider's clear dissatisfaction, is signficant, and comes in the same year that his contract with Yamaha is due to expire. So will the marriage continue? Quartararo covered his back over the winter  Over the winter, the young Frenchman made it clear that he&rsquo;d only continue with the Iwata manufacturer if the bike were competitive. During pre-season testing, he failed to find the power he was hoping for, and the first GP also proved disappointing from his standpoint. The ninth-place finish has done little to boost morale, the rider even having to tackle Q1 on Saturday, during what turned out to be a tough round for all the Yamaha riders. If we consider how, just one year ago, "El Diablo" was celebrating the win at Losail, the current situation is glaringly different. Yamaha needs a strategy  The riders&rsquo; market is still to get going, but this first round already raises an important question, or rather, will Yamaha and Quartararo renew their contract? Only time will tell, but manager Eric Mahe has confirmed his rider&rsquo;s dissatisfaction while talking to Canal+: &ldquo;The technical development of the bike doesn&rsquo;t seem as promising as we&rsquo;d hoped&rdquo;. Nothing new then, but guarantees will be needed if the manufacturer wants to retain a talent like Quartararo, MotoGP world champion at just 22 years of age, in only his third season in MotoGP. Mahe added: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fundamental that we understand what the Yamaha of the future will look like. Once we understand that, we&rsquo;ll start to think about the future&rdquo;. Quartararo is undoubtedly hot property on the market, but the Iwata manufacturer will need to play its cards right in order to keep him. Translated by Heather Watson Moto2: without a Kalex, it&rsquo;s increasingly hard to reach the top       

The M1 was not in the mix for the win at the Qatar season-opener and the marriage between the Frenchman and the Iwata manufacturer could waver

MotoGP, is a renewal between Quartararo and Yamaha looking increasingly unlikely?

        New season, same old problems. The Sepang and Mandalika tests have shone a spotlight on the negatives, with the M1&rsquo;s limitations appearing more serious at a time when the other manufacturers have taken clear steps forward. From the engine to tyre management after just a few laps, the bike has failed to satisfy the riders, who continue to hope for updates. We are talking about the very same bike that won the 2021 title and, in fact, at least in terms of performance, Quartararo looked as fast as ever during both tests. And yet, the Frenchman continues to underline that the bike has not improved in the areas he requires, not least the engine. And this is contrary to the Honda, Suzuki, Aprilia and Ducati of course, all of which have made visible progress. Quartararo quick but unhappy  In the Yamaha camp, there is more than one cause for alarm, with only Fabio Quartararo appearing competitive over both the flying lap and race distance, while all the other M1s finished outside of the top twenty in Malaysia. Only on the final day at Mandalika did the pace pick up. All the riders have complained about the performance of the bike with used tyres, as well as an engine that is not in line with that of the competition. Essentially, it&rsquo;s looking likely to be a complicated season start for the Iwata manufacturer as it deals with many of the same problems as last year, and with no important evolutions in the pipeline. And this is one of the reasons why Fabio Quartararo is displeased, the rider having hoped that Yamaha would do more to improve a bike that, in 2021, achieved its last win at the Silverstone GP, in August. In terms of speed, the world champion should be satisfied, in that he was one of the quickest during a race simulation. There doesn&rsquo;t seem to be much potential to extract from the bike though, or at least not in the French rider&rsquo;s opinion. Despite this, Fabio appears ready for the Qatar race, where he will almost certainly fight for the podium. And the situation is no better on the other side of the garage, although Franco Morbidelli&rsquo;s current difficulties have more to do with the fact he needs to find better feeling with the M1. The Academy rider seems more cautiously optimistic than his team-mate, but the problems highlighted are more or less the same. The fifth fastest time in the combined standings on day 3 at Mandalika was enough for the 2020 runner-up as he continues to return to his former speed and physical fitness, but we won&rsquo;t understand his real level until a few races in. The Frenchman shows strong pace, but is this down to the track?  Despite the issues outlined above, the stopwatch implies that the Yamaha is particularly fast in the hands of the Frenchman, the rider having set the second fastest time (1'31"074) at Mandalika, just 0.014 of a second from Espargar&oacute;. If we analyse his pace, the world champion performed the best over race distance, demonstrating significant improvement with respect to the simulation he carried out during the first Sepang test (where he only ducked under 1&rsquo;59 on three occasions, compared to seven times for Rins, five for Vi&ntilde;ales and four for Bastianini, Aleix Espargar&oacute; and Mir). If we consider a distance of fifteen laps, Quartararo was the quickest of all, maintaining an average of 1&rsquo;31.709. The Frenchman was the most consistent in terms of pace, putting together ten consecutive laps in the 1&rsquo;31s, unlike the other riders who slowed after a few laps, dropping to 1&rsquo;32. In this sense, Morbidelli&rsquo;s data should also be encouraging for Yamaha, the Italian also among the quickest in terms of pace. So if the stopwatch is so benevolent over both the flying lap and race distance, why does Quartararo seem so worried about the performance of the M1? The bike&rsquo;s solid performance may, in part, have to do with the track. Mandalika has a layout that suits the M1, with its flowing line, limited hard braking points, similarly limited acceleration from low speeds, and a short straight. A layout that is in fact all about rideability, high-speed turns and corner speed, which has always been a strength of the M1. This, as well as the changes of direction, another area in which the Japanese bike excels. Hence, the Indonesian track may have masked the M1&rsquo;s limitations, which may re-emerge at tracks that require more engine. Once again, the Yamaha&rsquo;s top speed is among the lowest, even compared to Aprilia - which was clearly not among the best last season &ndash; and Suzuki, which mounts an inline four like the Yamaha. The extra horsepower that Quartararo is looking for are still not there, and so last year&rsquo;s gap remains an issue. A gap that, for now, is compensated by a high-level frame and chassis, which are highlighted by the Frenchman&rsquo;s clean riding style. Complicated situation also for Andrea Dovizioso  And things are no better for the WithU team. Leaving aside Darryn Binder for now (it&rsquo;s too soon to draw any conclusions about the South African rookie), Andrea Dovizioso&rsquo;s words and performance tell of a similar situation. As the Italian himself admits, the best way to ride the M1 is to do as Quartararo does, which means the first races will see the rider focus on adapting to the bike, with a riding style that is closer to that of the Frenchman. Dovizioso&rsquo;s biggest problems have to do with his race pace, the Italian having lapped 1.5 seconds slower than the world champion. As for the flying lap, Mandalika brought significant improvement compared to Sepang, the Italian closing 0.830 from the first-placed rider. Dovi must continue to work on his riding style then, with the aim of finding the right speed while maintaining and managing the tyres, something that, for now, only Quartararo is able to exploit on the M1. Added to all this is the fact that there are unlikely to be any technical updates at the next tests either. In this sense, there is a clear difference between Yamaha and the other manufacturers. Honda has made a lot of changes and introduced new components with the aim of being competitive with all its riders, Suzuki has proved to be perhaps the strongest in terms of race pace, without forgetting Ducati and Aprilia. The Borgo Panigale manufacturer has shown to be the most competitive, while Aprilia looks to be the one that has improved the most over the winter. Basically, along with KTM, Yamaha appears to be the manufacturer most in difficulty following the winter tests. Only time will tell, but it looks as if Quartararo and Yamaha might be in for an uphill climb as they set out to defend the title. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Marquez: &ldquo;I considered retiring, a miracle i got my sight back&rdquo;       

From Fabio Quartararo to Andrea Dovizioso, the M1 riders are discouraged as they highlight many of the same problems as last season

MotoGP, Yamaha: riders dissatisfied following the tests, is it time to worry?

        Fabio Quartararo&rsquo;s MotoGP title win was undoubtedly well deserved, coming at the end of a season in which he was strong and consistent. The Frenchman finally got his hands on the trophy after the Misano GP, making the most&nbsp;of his first match point, when his main rival Francesco Bagnaia crashed while leading the way. The greatest emotion  As he thinks back to that time, the Frenchman tells Dazn: &ldquo;In a fraction of a second, I looked ahead and saw a bike in the gravel and thought, &lsquo;Jack crashed early on, so it must be Pecco&rsquo;. Then I looked at the maxi screens and told myself, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m world champion now&rsquo;. And I could barely ride any more&rdquo;. At that point, every second that separated him from the finish line seemed eternal, the rider admitting: &ldquo;I prayed for them to wave the chequered flag&rdquo;. From disaster to triumph  As the race ended, the emotions were unleashed: &ldquo;As I crossed the line, rather than thinking about all the great moments, it was the worst moments that popped into my head as I realised I had become world champion. It was an amazing feeling&rdquo;. His family and inseparable friend Tom had planned a celebration that &ldquo;I shared with those I love most. It was an incredible party that I&rsquo;ll always carry with me. In 2016, my mother in particular was crying with sadness. This time, we cried with joy&rdquo;. Yamaha had put its trust in him  Expectations were high as 2021 got underway, there&rsquo;s no denying it, particularly considering what the Frenchman had done over the previous two years while competing for team Petronas. The move to the factory team brought the expectation that he would be making history, but Fabio comments: &ldquo;I was taking the place of Valentino (Rossi) and it was even more stressful to see all those people around me&rdquo;. Having scored fifth place in the first race Qatar and then winning the second, he flew to Portugal where he enjoyed further success: &ldquo;When I won at Portimao, I told myself, 'This is my year&rsquo;&rdquo;. And so it was&hellip; Translated by Heather Watson Monica and Carlos, married in the name of Valentino Rossi and the World Championship       

The Frenchman describes those standout moments in which, still on the bike, he realised he was the new MotoGP world champion&hellip;

MotoGP, Quartararo admits: “At Portimao I realised 2021 was my year”

        With Valentino Rossi&rsquo;s retirement and Marc Marquez&rsquo;s physical problems, the reigning class seeks a new king and one of the candidates is of course world champion Fabio Quartararo, who will now attempt to defend his title and fight off Pecco Bagnaia on the Ducati, the main players during the 2021 season finale. But to overlook Marquez would be a mistake. When fully fit, the Spaniard is still the best of them all, but despite this, Honda has already begun to look around for another top rider who can fight for the title. Quartararo and Mir in Honda&rsquo;s sights  Marc&rsquo;s physical problems, but more importantly a lack of results on the part of Nakagami, Alex Marquez and particularly Pol Espargar&oacute; (whose contract runs until the end of 2022) have forced Honda to get the ball rolling in terms of the riders&rsquo; market, as it seeks a first-rate rider who can flank the eight-time champion and fight for the title. As reported by Sky Sport, it seems that the Tokyo-based manufacturer already met with Fabio Quartararo in December, and the Frenchman may well be interested, in that he is not fully satisfied with Yamaha&rsquo;s technical project. The 2022 season will therefore be crucial in terms of understanding the competitiveness of an M1 that looked to be one step behind the Ducati during the second half of 2021. As an alternative, Honda is considering Joan Mir. The Spaniard was disappointed with his 2021 season with Suzuki, both technically-speaking, with a bike that appeared to be in increasing difficulty, and in terms of the management within the garage following Davide Brivio&rsquo;s departure. While it is hard to imagine Quartararo leaving Yamaha, it&rsquo;s not difficult to envisage Joan Mir aboard the Honda. The Spaniard has a riding style that could suit the bike, as well as a personality that could stand up to Marquez. Yamaha an unknown with Dovizioso, Binder and Morbidelli  In the Yamaha camp, things are not clear with a view to 2023. As we&rsquo;ve said, Fabio Quartararo is keeping the Japanese manufacturer hanging, but if he were to leave, they&rsquo;d have a real problem on their hands. There are not many top riders and Morbidelli, though a sure thing in terms of his speed, is not yet there in terms of his physical fitness. Names that have been linked to Yamaha in recent months include Raul Fernandez and Toprak Razgatlioglu. The Superbike World Champion has considered MotoGP more than once and could secure a ride with the Withu Yamaha RNF team, if Dovizioso and Binder fail to convince. While the Spanish rookie, who comes to MotoGP with KTM, is already very much on the Japanese manufacturer&rsquo;s radar... Might there be further contact with a view to 2023? Martin wants a factory Ducati ride  But Honda and Yamaha are not the only ones looking ahead to 2023. KTM, in the shape of manager Pit Beirer, has recently revealed that all four of its seats are up for grabs next season &ndash; a way to keep riders focused and stimulate improvement. Those most at risk could be Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder, currently riding for the factory team, who need to look out for young rookies Remy Gardner and the aforementioned Raul Fernandez, who could quickly move up in the hierarchy. Without forgetting Pedro Acosta of course, who would almost certainly trigger a bidding war if he were to immediately do well in Moto2. And the situation at Ducati is also one to monitor, the &lsquo;hottest&rsquo; seat being that of Jack Miller. Bagnaia is untouchable and takes the place of number one rider for the Italian manufacturer, which has also put together a team of young talents ready to take a step up in terms of quality. Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin are a case in point, both in with a chance of moving to the factory team next season. Translated by Heather Watson 2022 MotoGP, the dates of all team presentations       

Although the 2022 season is yet to begin, the riders&rsquo; market for next year is starting to take shape. The first manufacturer to make a move is Honda, who wants a top rider alongside Marc Marquez

MotoGP: the riders’ market hots up for 2023, Honda targets Quartararo

        Born and raised in Piedmont, Francesco Bagnaia moved to Pesaro when the became a part of Valentino Rossi&rsquo;s VR46 Riders Academy. But his football team has always been Juventus, and today he was invited to a join a training day with the players, followed by the classic photo and autograph session. But that&rsquo;s not all. The &lsquo;duel&rsquo; with Quartararo  Pecco also joined Paulo Dybala on a video call to his number one rival on track, Fabio Quartararo, who is a good friend of the footballer. The Argentinian called Fabio, before revealing that he was with the Ducati rider, telling him: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just calling you quick because I&rsquo;m here on the pitch today and a big Juventus fan has come to see us, he just wants to meet all the Juventus guys, not like you who went to visit other clubs, and we just wanted to say hi&rdquo;. Dybala jokingly refers to the MotoGP champion&rsquo;s recent visit to Paris, where he kicked off the Paris Saint Germain &ndash; Nice game, and also to the fact that the Frenchman has been in contact with players from other clubs, such as Barcelona, while Bagnaia remains loyal to &lsquo;his&rsquo; Juventus. Here&rsquo;s the video:             Visualizza questo post su Instagram  Un post condiviso da Juventus (@juventus)      Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, 20 years since the end of the 500 era: how has riding style changed?       

A native of the Piedmont region, the Italian spent a day with the players of the &lsquo;Vecchia Signora&rsquo; and put on a bit of a performance with Paulo Dybala

MotoGP, Bagnaia at Juventus and his call with Quartararo...

        With Fabio Quartararo&rsquo;s decision, the world championship trend (for some a negative one) of not using the number 1 plate on the bike continues. The Yamaha rider carries on a tradition, albeit a fairly recent one, that found its ultimate expression with Valentino Rossi. Ever since winning the first of his nine titles, back in 2001, the Italian champion has always chosen to continue using #46. A decision that has of course paid off, considering the effects this number has had on the history of motorcycling, becoming a fairly iconic number as well as a business. The precedent  The Italian was only the second rider to do such a thing. The &lsquo;pioneer&rsquo; was Barry Sheene, who preferred his own number 7 over the number 1 in 1977. There were no other cases, not before or after the Brit. Kevin Schwantz, having always been identified by his historic and iconic number 34, still opted to use the number 1 in 1994 after winning the title the year before. As did everybody else, right up to more recent times, when the trend did an about turn. After Rossi, Lorenzo, Mir, Marquez and now Quartararo have preferred to continue with their personal number, while Hayden in 2007, Stoner in 2008 and 2012 and Lorenzo in 2011 (the Majorcan used it after winning the first of his titles) all chose to use the world champion&rsquo;s number. And this turnaround is not limited to the world championship, but is also apparent in the MX world, first with Stefen Everts and #72 and then Antonio Cairoli with #222. Jonathan Rea the last bastion  Across the whole motorsport world, only Jonathan Rea continues to use the symbolic number 1 on his bike, the number reserved for the strongest. The Kawasaki rider, the winner of six Superbike titles, has always done so, sacrificing his number 65. Opinions on the subject differ, but the Irishman&rsquo;s decision can perhaps be appreciated today, in that he&rsquo;s the only recognisable rider to have the number 1 plate. With the 2021 title still up for grabs, it will be interesting to see whether the production-derived tradition will continue (in the last ten years, only Checa in 2012 and Biaggi in 2013 opted to retain their personal numbers) or whether, if Toprak Razgatlioglu were to win, the Turk might take inspiration from the world championship, which appears to favour the path traced by&hellip; #46. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Jarvis: &ldquo;Quartararo's title outdoes the 2015 double&rdquo;       

The Frenchman has stated he doesn&rsquo;t want to have the number 1 on his fairing while defending his title next year, a decision that follows the recent trend

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