Quartararo out to benefit from Pecco penalty, hopes Marquez can fight red bikes

Bagnaia, who arrives home on the back of a three-race win streak, will be forced to start Sunday’s race three places below his qualifying position, as punishment for slowing down in the middle of the track during FP1.

The Italian had mistakenly thought the session was over, forcing Alex Marquez and Enea Bastianini to take evasive action.

Bagnaia admitted his error and ‘totally agreed’ with the penalty handed down by the FIM Stewards.

With memories still fresh of the controversial long lap penalty handed to Quartararo for an accident with Aleix Espargaro at Assen, the Frenchman said of Bagnaia's three-place penalty:

“We were joking with my friends that if it happened to me, I’d have [been given] three years in jail!”

On a more serious note, given Bagnaia and Ducati’s current form, Quartararo knows he must try and take full advantage of the grid penalty.

“We have to use it [to our advantage] because, in the end, we need to take the benefit from everything," said Quartararo, who starts the weekend 32 points clear of Aleix Espargaro and 44 ahead of man-of-the-moment Bagnaia.

"Of course, it’s a shame for him, but we think for us, so we will need to take the benefit from this and try to make our best.”

The reigning world champion finished Friday practice in fifth place behind the Ducatis of Enea Bastianini, Bagnaia, Jack Miller and Johann Zarco.

But Quartararo overcame a similar level of Ducati practice dominance to finish second in Austria and is again confident in his race pace.

“Today in the pace we were super fast,” he said.

• 2023 MotoGP World Championship - Rider line-up so far

Quartararo: I hope Marc can fight against the red bikes

Quartararo has been the only rider on a Japanese bike able to offer any resistance to Ducati in recent rounds, but that could soon change with the news that Marc Marquez will make a MotoGP comeback at next week’s Misano test.

If all goes well, the injured eight-time world champion might then make a race return at Aragon.

“I hope he can be fighting with us pretty soon and try to destroy a little bit, the plan of the red bikes,” Quartararo said. “But yeah, it’s great that he comes back.

"For sure he has had some positive feedback from his [arm] and shoulder at the [Aragon] test. So now he will come here for two days and then everybody [will have] a clear idea about his potential for the future races.”