Quartararo seals victory at Italian Grand Prix as Marquez crashes out early
May 30, 2021 13:59 MYT
Marc Marquez crashed out on the second lap as championship leader Fabio Quartararo claimed a third MotoGP victory of the season at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
In a race overshadowed by the death of Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier after a crash in qualifying on Saturday, Quartararo became the first rider to win in Mugello after starting from pole position since 2014.
Meanwhile, Marquez's hopes of securing a strong result in his fourth race since returning from a broken arm were ended at turn three on the second lap when he made contact with Brad Binder.
Quartararo started from his fourth consecutive pole, but he was usurped by Francesco Bagnaia almost immediately.
Ducati rider Bagnaia fell from the front on just the second lap, though, handing the advantage back to Quartararo, who fought off the threat of fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco to seal a third win in six races.
This latest victory extended his lead at the head of the standings to 24 points over Zarco, who was leapfrogged by Miguel Oliveria into second with eight laps remaining, with Joan Mir pushing him off the podium soon after.
Alex Rins pushed Zarco further down the standings, but he was denied a push at a podium place when he crashed on the final corner.
Oliveira beat Mir to the line for second, although the Portuguese rider was initially demoted to third for exceeding track limits on the final lap. It later transpired Mir had also committed the same offence and they were returned to their original positions.
A classy gesture @FabioQ20 waves the Swiss flag in honour of Jason Dupasquier #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/4MUxveDb6r
— MotoGP (@MotoGP) May 30, 2021
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 105
Teams
The Barcelona-Catalunya circuit plays host to the next race in the championship next weekend, with Quartararo looking for a repeat performance of his win there last year.