After claiming his maiden MotoGP™ victory last weekend at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, Petronas Yamaha SRT had a look at some of the stats behind Fabio Quartararo’s first 20 races in the premier class.
Quartararo’s 20th race on Sunday was one for the history books as he became the first French premier class winner since Regis Laconi at the 1999 Valencia GP, and became the first satellite Yamaha winner in the MotoGP™ era (the last being Garry McCoy at the 2000 Valencia GP). He is also the eighth youngest rider to win in the premier class at 21 years and 90 days.
His debut season last year, which was also the debut season for Petronas Yamaha SRT, saw him immediately impress at the first round in Qatar, setting the fastest lap around Losail International Circuit – an achievement that he repeated at Le Mans, his home Grand Prix. ‘El Diablo’ also became the youngest ever MotoGP™ pole sitter in Jerez, in what was a historic day for the team, with Franco Morbidelli joining him on the front row of the grid after qualifying second.
After racking up six pole positions, seven podium finishes (five of which saw him on the second step) and breaking four-lap records (Jerez, Assen, Buriram and Sepang), it was no surprise that he became 2019 Rookie of the Year in Japan with three races still to go. The Frenchman also helped Petronas Yamaha SRT take the Independent Teams Championship in their debut MotoGP™ campaign.
The enforced break from racing meant that Quartararo had to wait until last weekend in Jerez to take part in just his 20th MotoGP™ race, where he showed that being away from his Yamaha YZR-M1 for over four months has only sharpened his drive. Over the course of the weekend, Quartararo broke the lap record (which he himself had set the year before) twice on his way to taking his seventh pole position and, ultimately, his first MotoGP™ win. It was his eighth podium and boosted his accumulated points total across the 20 races to 217.
Quartararo currently sits at the top of the MotoGP™ World Championship standings after his victory on Sunday. Will he remain top of the pile when the riders attack the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto again at the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia?