Quartararo: Nakagami move ‘like it was last lap, destroyed my race’

At Portimao, the former world champion was bumped by Joan Mir, who fell and received a long lap penalty. Then, in Argentina on Sunday, a braking lunge from Takaaki Nakagami forced the Yamaha rider wide.

Both remained upright, but the contact caused Quartararo to drop to 16th, while Nakagami remained in ninth. The incident was investigated by the FIM Stewards, who concluded no punishment was needed.

Quartararo, who had struggled in the wet at Buriram last season and lacked his usual corner speed throughout the Termas weekend, then mounted an impressive recovery to seventh place, finishing in the wheeltracks of Jack Miller.

“Both [happy and sad] because when there is always someone that breaks your balls in the first lap...” Quartararo said. “The positive thing is we came from last to seventh.

"I saw that the team was pretty happy. It's not usual to see my crew chief really happy like that! So I guess that my pace was pretty good. But also, the overtakes and everything. There were not many riders that crashed in front of me. So I think we can take some positives from the base we had in the wet."

Reflecting on the Nakagami clash, Quartararo explained: “My start was pretty good. I think I was in the same position [tenth], but I was not that far and then [Nakagami] making that kind of movement - looks like it’s the last lap. It’s not.”

Asked if he agreed with the decision not to punish Nakagami, the Monster Yamaha rider said:

“I don't understand what they [Stewards] are doing, to be honest. I watched the Moto3 race. Ayumu [Sasaki] in turn 5 made an overtake that was for me really clean, but he slightly touched [the other rider] which in MotoGP we are doing all the time. [And he] got dropped one position.

“[Nakagami] just destroyed my race in one corner and doesn't have nothing. I don't know, it's still the same people that are doing these things.”

Quartararo, just tenth in the world championship and now behind team-mate Franco Morbidelli, felt a top five would have been possible without the first lap setback.

Team principal Massimo Meregalli added: "Fabio was unlucky to be pushed wide by an overly ambitious Nakagami. We don‘t understand why this action was not punished, considering it impeded Fabio‘s race completely."

• Jack Miller: Sand and shit, like motocross!
• Alex Marquez: ‘Ciao’ to Bezzecchi, podium ‘long way’ from 2020

Nakagami: ‘A racing incident’

While Quartararo worked his way forwards, Nakagami slipped back to 13th by the finish, struggling with visibility from a dirty screen and electronic settings.

The LCR Honda rider admitted the lap 1 move ‘looked a little bit aggressive’ but felt it was a racing incident.

“Honestly, at that moment, I thought I can overtake and slightly overshot a little bit. I missed the apex, but it was not like crazy riding,” he said.

“We touched a little bit, but this is racing… He didn't crash. Of course, he lost positions, I want to apologise [for that] but it’s racing.”

The other first-lap incident, between Maverick Vinales and Brad Binder, which left the KTM rider on the ground, also passed without any penalties.