“Wrong everywhere”: Fabio Quartararo penalised twice after mystery Balaton MotoGP issue
A strange handling problem for Fabio Quartararo led to two long-lap penalties and retirement at the Balaton Park MotoGP.
Fabio Quartararo failed to see the chequered flag of a Sunday MotoGP for the first time this season, retiring after two long-lap penalties.
The Monster Yamaha rider emerged in sixth after the Turn 1 carnage but was soon struggling with a ‘technical issue’ on his M1.
The Frenchman was quickly pushed outside of the top ten as he struggled to stop the bike, then was given separate long-lap penalties in quick succession for not surrendering enough time after short-cuts across the Turn 10 chicane.
Quartararo was outside of the points after completing the penalties, then retired with four laps to go.
“After what happened in Turn 1, I was just behind Jack [Miller], and the position was not bad. But straight away I felt something wrong,” Quartararo said.
“I was losing positions in braking, going wide a few times, going to the gravel so I decided to stop and see what was happening.
“The team are looking exactly what happened. And yeah, technical issue.”
“Wrong everywhere”
Pressed on what he had felt, Quartararo added: “Stopping was the place where I felt the most, but this was especially like something wrong everywhere.
“The feeling was more with the rear, so this is why we are looking at this issue.”
Rather than a technical failure, team director Massimo Meregalli pointed to the medium rear tyre not working with the V4.
Although the medium was chosen by all of the top-six starters except KTM’s Pedro Acosta, Quartararo’s fellow Yamaha riders picked the soft rear.
"We expect that the sensations [Quartararo] felt may have been caused by the medium rear tyre that, due to today's track conditions and circumstances, did not suit our bike,” Meregalli said.
“It caused him to get two long lap penalties and ultimately led to the decision to retire from the race."
Miller went on to finish as the top Yamaha rider in eighth, while Quartararo was left without points for the second event in a row.
“No, no. We don't take anything,” Quartararo replied, when asked if there were any positives to take into the weekend off before Brno.
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
