The three factors that crowned MotoGP's newest champion at Misano
The prospect of Fabio Quartararo clinching the 2021 MotoGP world championship title at Misano appeared small after struggling to 15th in qualifying, while main rival Francesco Bagnaia took pole. Here's how the Yamaha rider turned it around, with help from an ill-fated Bagnaia tyre choice, to secure the crown with two races to spare
The last time Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro occupied the first two spots of a grand prix podium was the 2012 Australian Moto2 race. Fabio Quartararo was just 13 years old at the time. When Honda duo Marquez and Espargaro finally shared the podium together again after a 1-2 finish in last Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, 22-year-old Quartararo became the 2021 MotoGP world champion.
Two years ago, after Marquez beat rookie Quartararo to victory at Misano, the eight-time world champion marked the Frenchman – once hailed as 'the next Marquez' when he entered grand prix racing in 2015 – out as a MotoGP title contender.
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