Fabio Quartararo “lucky” to avoid Marc Marquez-style Indonesia crash

Fabio Quartararo says he was “lucky” to avoid injuring himself as Marc Marquez did last year at the MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix after a crash in Practice.

The Yamaha rider slid off of his bike at the fast Turn 9 section during Friday afternoon’s Practice session.

The crash itself was nothing serious, but he was thrown into a roll when his sliding body struck the gravel trap due to a lip in the asphalt.

It’s a complaint riders have repeatedly had about Mandalika, with reigning champion Marc Marquez’s season ended in a crash last year because of a shoulder injury sustained in the gravel.

“They have to do something”

“I’m a bit sore on the left side,” Quartararo told the media, including Crash, on Friday.

“The crash was fast, but it was not a big one.

“But entering into the gravel was the worst part, but luckily nothing is broken; just some muscle things. So, we could go back to the bike. But tomorrow I will wake up a bit sore.

“I mean, for me, it’s the same as last year with Marc.

“For me, if there was no gravel or it was better-placed, he would go away with nothing.

“Today I was lucky because the crash was nothing spectacular, but just when you hit the gravel it’s bad. So, they have to do something on this area.”

Asked what the solution is, the Yamaha rider replied: “I think we need to put it at least as the same height as the tarmac, because I think it’s a bit higher.

“So, when you arrive, you just bump in the air. So, it’s too high.”

Marquez said the riders “always complain” about the gravel traps, but it’s not on them to check every corner is safe.

“Honestly speaking, I’m fighting for a championship and I didn’t check about how the gravel is or not,” he said.

“We always complain. It’s true that it’s not good for the safety of the riders, it’s not good even for the bikes because they are always trying to adjust the budget.

“But the best way to save budget is to try to save riders and bikes in these kinds of crashes.

“That area we know is super-fast, and when you go in the gravel with that high speed, the damage is there.

“I didn’t see Fabio’s crash very well, but if there is a step… the thing is, the riders cannot check corner by corner.

“It’s people who work for that, so just try to ride without thinking about those kinds of things.”

Quartararo grabs Q2 spot despite crash

Quartararo was able to get back out to complete Practice after his crash, and was seventh at the chequered flag to secure a Q2 spot.

“To be honest, after this kind of crash, when you need to restart and make two time attacks, it’s not the best way to get back on the bike,” he reflected.

“But actually I felt pretty good. The casing felt much better than last year, especially the medium, which took a lot of time to warm up [but] this year much less.

“And the feeling with our bike… OK, we miss the grip, the turning. But here, there are not so many straights, so it helps quite a lot.”