Tearful Fabio Quartararo reveals what his best friend said after British MotoGP DNF

Having led the first 11 laps of the restarted British MotoGP race at Silverstone, Fabio Quartararo says it was “heartbreaking” to lose out by a technical problem.

Quartararo, who qualified on pole for the race and hadn’t won since the 2022 German Grand Prix, was one of several riders to choose the soft-compound front tyre, and he made use of it in the early laps, opening up a substantial lead over the field.

But a ride height device failure on lap 12, which saw his device stuck in its engaged position from the moment he entered turn six, forced him to retire, the Monster Energy Yamaha rider breaking down in tears trackside afterwards.

Fabio Quartararo DNF at British MotoGP

“Heartbreaking,” Quartararo said after the race in Silverstone.

“I knew the medium [front tyre] for us was clearly not an option because yesterday [in the Sprint] we finished quite well with the front but really bad with the rear.

“I knew that, to go fast today, I had to brake like hell and this is what I did from the first lap – braking super-late, don’t use so much the rear tyre.

“I managed in a really good way because one lap Bezzecchi took me four tenths or three tenths and the next lap I just responded and could ride really well.

“But we had an issue with the device that remained blocked on the rear and it’s a big shame because I never felt that good since a long time ago and everything was under control.”

After briefly coming once more to tears in his media debrief when asked if his performance until the issue – by which time he was leading over eventual winner Marco Bezzecchi by five seconds – gave him hope for future races, Quartararo agreed that it does.

“Of course it gives me hope,” he said.

“But f*ck it’s so sh*t what happened to day because we improved the bike and when everything is going in a good way we know we are fast.”

After the race, Quartararo was consoled by his friend Thomas Maubant, who has also long been Quartararo’s assistant at the races.

“He’s my best friend and he’s the one that knows me the best,” Quartararo said.

“He was just telling me that today I was clearly the fastest and it was a long time that– it was a little bit our life in reverse: I made the first pole in Jerez and I broke the [gear shifter]; then this happens now.

“We are coming back, I don’t know when will be the next time, but there will be tracks where we will struggle more, there will be tracks like here when we went fast. So, we are on a good way.”