Quartararo: 'Silverstone a circuit that I really love'

Having grown his MotoGP title lead from 34 to 47 points during the back-to-back events in Austria, arguably Yamaha's toughest circuit on the calendar, Fabio Quartararo heads to Silverstone and 'a circuit that I really love'.

Due to the covid pandemic, the British venue has been absent from the MotoGP calendar since 2019, when Quartararo qualified in a strong fourth place as a rookie Petronas Yamaha rider.

On that occasion, his race ended at Turn One when he tangled spectacularly with Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso. The Frenchman will now be looking to go the distance as he seeks an eighth podium and fifth win of the season.

Should Quartararo stand on the top step on Sunday, it would put him over two race wins clear of his opponents, with a scheduled six rounds to go.

"I'm starting the British GP with a very positive mood. We extended our championship lead after Spielberg, and Silverstone is a circuit that I really love," Quartararo said.

"We made a big step there in 2019 in terms of performance. I think that this race will be a good one if the conditions are good. If it rains, we'll have to see, but in any case, we will do our best.

"My goal is to fight for the victory, firstly because this is one my favourite tracks and secondly because it‘s an important GP for the team," he added, referring to Monster Energy being title sponsor of the event.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and reigning champion Joan Mir (Suzuki) have now emerged as Quartararo's closest title rivals, but both are yet to win a race in 2021.

Cal Crutchlow will be riding alongside Quartararo at Monster Yamaha this weekend, in place of Maverick Vinales.