Quartararo penalised for Espargaro collision in Assen MotoGP race
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo has been handed a long lap penalty for his collision with Aleix Espargaro in Sunday’s MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix.
The Yamaha rider crashed on the fifth lap of the race at Assen while trying to overtake Aprilia’s Espargaro on the inside of Turn 5.
Quartararo lost the front and slid into Espargaro, who was forced onto the gravel and lost over eight seconds as he re-joined in 15th.
Points leader Quartararo also remounted, but pulled into pitlane a few laps later due to damage on his bike – before being sent out by his team in case the race was red-flagged or it started to rain.
However, a few laps after that he crashed again at Turn 5, with Quartararo convinced his traction control sensor was broken.
While Espargaro recovered to fourth and is now only 21 points behind Quartararo in the standings, the Frenchman has been handed a long lap penalty to be served at the British Grand Prix in August.
This is the first time since the Catalan GP last year that Quartararo has been hit with a penalty for an in-race incident when his leather suit burst open in the latter stages of the Barcelona race.
Quartararo’s exit from Sunday’s Dutch GP also marked his first retirement since the 2021 Portuguese GP.
Following the Dutch GP, Quartararo questioned his team’s decision to send him out again after his first crash and admits he feels “lucky” not to have broken any bones in the second crash.
“I don’t know,” Quartararo said when asked why he was sent out again after pitting.
“Basically I was one lap after everybody, the team told me to go because maybe the rain was coming.
“But as soon as I went out I said I’d push again, but I [already] came back in because I felt a problem.
“But we go out again and I feel lucky to don’t have something broken after that.
“Was not my decision, because if I stop it’s to stop. But this is another thing.”
Quartararo branded his crash with Espargaro as a “rookie mistake” and felt the Aprilia rider should have won Sunday’s race given the pace he then showed fighting back through the pack to fourth.
Bagnaia was “terrified” of crashing out again in Assen MotoGP race
Espargaro "lost a victory" in Quartararo Assen MotoGP clash
Alex Marquez “will be professional” to the end of Honda MotoGP deal
Alex Marquez says he will remain “professional” through to the end of his Honda MotoGP contract with LCR despite recently admitting a loss of motivation at the team.
Retiring Dovizioso "really didn't expect" Yamaha MotoGP struggles
Retiring 15-time MotoGP race winner Andrea Dovizioso admits he "really didn't expect" to encounter the struggles he has in adapting to the Yamaha MotoGP bike.
2022 MotoGP title fight now "very tight", says Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro believes the current MotoGP championship picture following the British Grand Prix has set up “a very, very tight” title battle.
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season is being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former teammate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider.
Why Andrea Dovizioso is leaving MotoGP at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy.
Why Alex Rins feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Motorsport.com - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about.
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
OPINION: The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. This is why.
How in-form Quartararo is evoking Marquez in MotoGP 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success.
Why Marquez's surgery is about more than just chasing on-track success
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have