Tough Race for Quartararo and Morbidelli at the 2022 Aragón MotoGP
The ENEOS-sponsored Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team would like to put the 2022 Gran Premio de Aragón behind them. Fabio Quartararo was involved in a high-speed collision on the first lap that instantly took him out of competition, while Franco Morbidelli was unable to climb higher than 17th position.
El Diablo had a good start from P6 on the grid and slotted into seventh after the first corner. However, drama quickly unfolded after at Turn 3 as Marc Marquez wobbled in front of Quartararo, making it impossible to avoid a high-speed impact into the back of Marquez. Remarkably, Quartararo managed to avoid being hit by other riders but was struck by his own bike as it tumbled down the tarmac, leaving him with chest abrasions.
“We were on pace to fight for a great result but unfortunately I crashed on the first lap,” said the Frenchman. “Luckily I have no serious injuries, but it’s still a big shame. For sure I’ll be back racing in Japan!”
Teammate Morbidelli started P20 but obviously the opening lap was chaotic. He was in last place after the first lap but persistence paid off. With ten laps remaining, he recovered two positions and held 18th until the final stages, where he was able to gain another spot. He crossed the finish line in 17th, 30.422sec from first.
“The accidents on the first lap didn’t help, but those things can happen when starting 20th,” Morbidelli explained. “Other than that, my pace wasn’t good, but enough to recover positions. We tried things to make me faster in the corners but it was hard to notice an improvement. We’ll study where we can make strides in fast corners for Japan.”
Quartararo’s lead in the championship is now 10 points with 211 points total; Morbidelli remains 19th with 16 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP holds third in the Team championship with 237 points, and Yamaha is third with 213 points in the manufacturer standings.
NEXT RACE
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP heads to Mobility Resort Motegi in Japan for Round 16 of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship from September 23-25, 2022.