Quartararo: Too much 'hesitation' caused Sachsenring crash
Petronas Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo says that his early German Grand Prix crash was down to too much 'hesitation' over whether to try to overtake Danilo Petrucci on the second lap.
Quartararo had a strong launch off the line from second on the grid at the Sachsenring, and even led into Turn 1, but he was outbraked by Marc Marquez and then ran wide when Jack Miller made contact with him on the inside.
The Frenchman dropped to sixth as a result and then tried to pass Petrucci at Turn 3 on the following lap, but ended up crashing after running on the kerbs.
Quartararo owned up to his mistake, saying he was indecisive in his move and the attempt ended up being "too fast", adding that him losing out at Turn 1 was also ultimately caused by an error as he couldn't shift a gear.
"I just made a mistake in my start, first and second gear was okay, I tried to put the third gear and I didn't shift," explained Quartararo.
"Unfortunately I brake a little bit too early, had a touch with Jack.
"The second lap I tried to overtake Petrucci but I was hesitating a lot, if I need to do it or not, and unfortunately was the wrong choice. Too much lean angle, too fast and I lose the front.
"So, yes, our first mistake in the race, first crash, we will learn from this one and come back stronger.
"We had really good pace to fight with top guys, cannot only be positive for us and never negative - so today we crash, we saw that Alex [Rins] crash also, at the end some riders were happy today and in the past I was happy."
Quartararo concluded the first part of his rookie season eighth in the standings with two podiums at Barcelona and Assen, three pole positions and a sole crash at the Sachsenring.
"If we make the balance of this year, we make only one crash in a race, was here, but three pole position, five front rows in total and two podiums," he reflected. "I didn't expect that from my first half of the season.
"I will have some rest, some holidays, and of course I will be working hard on the last two weeks to prepare the second half of the season."
Fabio Quartararo, Petronas Yamaha SRT
Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images
Previous article
Marquez had Austin crash on his mind at the Sachsenring
Next article
Ducati must "completely" focus on turning, not fighting Marquez
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Event | German GP |
| Sub-event | Race |
| Drivers | Fabio Quartararo |
| Teams | SIC Racing Team |
| Author | David Gruz |
Marc Marquez sensational comeback
Motorsport.tv Live: Portuguese MotoGP
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
How Yamaha's rookie-spec MotoGP star is taking charge
Fabio Quartararo is on a roll in 2021 after storming to victory at a venue five months earlier served up one of his worst races. Contrasting Portuguese GPs for Yamaha's factory duo make it hard to understand just how good its 2021 MotoGP bike is, but the Portimao weekend did at least expose one key improvement compared to 2020
The hurdles Marquez faces next in his Portugal MotoGP return
Even by Marc Marquez’s own high standards, his MotoGP comeback on Friday at the Portuguese Grand Prix will be considered a success even if he didn’t top the times. But having shown competitive pace on his first day back, both Marquez and his rivals know plenty more challenges are to come...
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
