Quartararo: “I am making my dream come true and I have not yet achieved it”

In 1999, the year of birth of fabio quartararo, Alex Criville offered Spain its first world champion title in the premier category. 22 years later, the Niçois ended a series of nine Spanish titles in a row in MotoGP by becoming the very first Frenchman to accomplish such a feat. 

However, we had to wait until almost the end of the 73rd season since the creation of the world championship to experience this... “To be frank, I lost my voice just afterward,” confided Quartararo, still totally stunned by emotion. I cried and screamed a lot. It's incredible. As I crossed the line, I thought about the complicated moments I went through to be world champion. I didn't expect this because I went through some tough times a few years ago. I'm making my dream come true and I haven't realized it yet. »

A life-long dream achieved 🏆# ELD1ABLO 😈 pic.twitter.com/MyiijEQya6

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 24, 2021

However, Quartararo did not seem destined for the title this Sunday, but, after two days affected by rain and the worst qualifying of his young MotoGP career, the stars finally aligned. After a good climb to fifth position, Francesco Bagnaia committed the irreparable by making a mistake five laps from the checkered flag. “I had never started from beyond 11th place in MotoGP,” he stressed. I was 15th at the start of one of the most important races of my career. We opted for the best tires for us. The hard course would have been much better and I could have aimed for the podium. I didn't have stability when I was behind the group. I couldn't overtake. I'm happy with this race even if I didn't win the title. Of course, winning it is something extra. »

But how, at just 22 years old, do you manage not to crack under the pressure? According to the Yamaha rider, it was the experience of last season that played a crucial role. “Before leaving, I was with Tom (Thomas Maubat, his personal assistant, editor's note) in the office. I was nervous and stressed, but he said “think about the last three races last year”. It was a disaster and I wanted to finish the championship, regardless of my position. Today I started the race that made me world champion. Last year's experience helped me a lot to win the title. Thank you to all these people for supporting me during these difficult times. I learned a lot during these two years in MotoGP and I still have to learn. »

With two games remaining before the end of the season, “El Diablo” can take a breather and enjoy this well-deserved title.