It was an unexpectedly shaky start to the 2022 campaign for one of the pre-season title favourites. One point from the opening two races, four DNFs before the summer break and at one point, 91 points adrift of the World Championship summit. Now though, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) leads the title race by 14 points heading to the penultimate round of the season in Malaysia.
Flip the coin over and it’s a different story for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™). The reigning MotoGP™ World Champion had bagged dominant victories in Portugal, Catalunya and Germany, and looked on course to make it two titles in two years. Pecco himself admitted after his German GP DNF that “at the moment, I’m not very positive. It will be almost impossible, but we’ll try.” It was at that stage he sat 91 points back from Quartararo.
The turning point: Assen
A week on from the disappointment of crashing out at the Sachsenring, the Dutch TT looked like it could be another tricky weekend vs Quartararo for Pecco. The former won at The Cathedral in 2021. And it’s a track that suits Yamaha’s YZR-M1 down to a tee. However, a first mistake of the season saw Quartararo notch up a blank before the summer break, as Pecco held his nerve to keep Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) at bay for a much-needed victory. 66 points was the deficit post-Assen – a healthier number, but still a tough task.
Post-summer form
Silverstone signalled the beginning of the second half of the season, with Quartararo having to deal with a Long Lap penalty in the race for the incident with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) back in Assen. Ultimately, this cost the Yamaha star a shot at the win as Pecco went on to claim an unexpected 25-point haul. Then, a week later at the Red Bull Ring, the Italian claimed a third win on the spin – another five points chalked off his deficit, as Quartararo picked up a classy second place.
Home comforts
Could Pecco make it four victories in a row? The answer was yes. The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli provided the perfect ribbon of asphalt for Pecco to win again, but he was made to sweat by future teammate Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), as the pair crossed the line just 0.034s apart in a belting encounter. Leaving the San Marino GP, the gap between Pecco and Quartararo was down to just 30 points. 61 points had vanished in four races, as we then witnessed a surprising run of form for Quartararo.
10 points in it after Aragon
After an opening lap incident with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Quartararo suffered another DNF as Pecco and Bastianini went head-to-head for victory again. This time it was Bastianini who pinched the win, but a second place for Pecco was a precious 20-point score that meant heading to the flyaway races, the gap was down to 10 points.
The pendulum swings back towards Quartararo in Japan
A last lap crash and a sarcastic clap to himself was how Pecco’s Japanese GP weekend ended. After a fantastic run of form, it looked like the title race pendulum had swung back in favour of Quartararo – despite the Frenchman only finishing P8. It was a big blow for Pecco and Ducati, with Jack Miller’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) dominant victory the only reason they left Motegi with smiles on their faces. Heading to Thailand, a place Quartararo already has a podium to his name at, the gap was up to 18 points.
A P3 that tasted like victory
A sprinkling of rain brought drama in Buriram. Quartararo’s P17 – after looking strong in the dry conditions – was a disaster for him and Yamaha, while Pecco’s ride to a third place finish behind Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and teammate Miller felt like a win to the Italian. Understandably so. The difference between Quartararo and Pecco after the Thai GP was just two points. Nothing in it with three races to go.
Deficit overturned on the Island
After two seasons away, MotoGP™ made its long-awaited return to an all-time classic. Phillip Island was a pivotal round in the 2022 World Championship and a venue that Quartararo and Yamaha had their sights set on as a chance to get back on track. However, on Sunday, it was anything but. A Turn 2 crash – after a costly Turn 4 error – saw the number 20 score another blank, as Pecco picked up another P3 to take the title lead. 91 points adrift became 14 points ahead with two races to go. Deficit overturned.
The biggest comeback in history
In overcoming the colossal 91-point gap that stared him in the face on a gloomy Sunday at the Sachsenring, Pecco completed the biggest comeback in premier class history since the current points system was introduced in 1993. Until now, Joan Mir’s (Team Suzuki Ecstar) 48-point deficit to Quartararo in 2020 was the biggest comeback we’d seen. Marc Marquez clawed 37 points back on Viñales in 2017 and 30 to Dani Pedrosa in 2013. But Pecco’s 91 is in a different league.
Of course, Mir and Marc Marquez went on to become World Champions. The job isn’t done yet for Pecco – far from it. But he’s given himself the first bite at the cherry at the Malaysian GP.