It’s fair to say that fortune completely deserted Yamaha and Fabio Quartararo at the OR Grand Prix of Thailand. Having performed well all weekend in the dry, the heavens opened as heavy downpours drenched Chang International Circuit just before lights out, and the reigning World Champion suffered the consequences.
‘El Diablo’ already had a mammoth task on his hands in trying to keep pace with an army of Ducatis from fourth on the grid, but a manic opening lap saw Quartararo drop down the pecking order and out of the points altogether, a position from which he never recovered, eventually taking the chequered flag in P17 to record a Buriram blank. To make matters worse, his advantage atop the standings has been decimated as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took advantage and battled his way to a podium finish, his eighth of the season. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) profited also despite not being at his best, clawing back five points to sit just 20 behind.
The Iwata factory are set to launch an investigation into Sunday’s disastrous performance, with many questions begging but few answers available, with Quartararo admitting as much himself.
"Rain fell at the worst possible time for us. We had not much wet track time before the race started - just a few minutes. The first laps of the race were really tricky. I was pushed wide by Jack (Miller) in Turn 1 and it only got worse from there. I was trying to find a good feeling, but in Turn 4 I had a moment, and the visibility was really bad.
"I'm sorry for the Thai fans. I had hoped to do a better race in front of them. We have an idea why we struggled that much, but we will investigate more to improve for the future. We'll try to come back stronger in Australia."
Just 75 points are up for grabs in the remaining three rounds, and you can throw a blanket over the top three contenders it’s so close, while the likes of Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) are lurking in the background, ready to pounce on any mistakes from the lead trio.
For Quartararo, his chance at redemption comes soon, with Phillip Island next up in little over a week’s time. It’s set to be another fascinating instalment into what has been an enthralling Championship battle. You’re not going to want to miss it!