Some of the reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo’s MotoGP rivals have admitted to feeling sorry for the Yamaha rider as they head into this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, with Sunday’s race at Sepang representing the first chance for the Frenchman’s title rival Pecco Bagnaia to lift the 2022 crown thanks to his 14-point advantage.
Chief among those cheering on Quartararo as the championship comes down to the wire in Malaysia is Red Bull KTM rider Miguel Oliveira, with the Portuguese racer explaining that the Yamaha’s current status as an underperforming underdog makes what the reigning champion is doing aboard it all the more special.
“I think it’s going to be difficult – I mean, anything can happen,” he said when asked who he would be cheering for, “but I cannot say for sure he has it under control, but the odds, the probabilities, aim at him more than they aim at Fabio. Also because of the history he had in the previous seasons in the last races.
“I mean, who I’m rooting for personally, I would say Fabio. He has done an outstanding job this season. You could clearly see some races he didn’t have the package. And he still managed to do it. From a rider championship perspective, yeah, that’s who I’m rooting for. But anything can happen.”
That belief in Quartararo’s impressive year, especially in the early stages when he proved almost unstoppable, was echoed by six-time world champion Marc Marquez, who admitted that he too was impressed by his early races given the power deficit that it’s clear his Yamaha has.
“I’ve said before that what Fabio did was amazing,” the Repsol Honda rider told The Race. “He has a competitive bike, but for practices. To fight in the race, without engine [power], is more difficult. As he showed in the first part of the season, when he leads a race he can go away.
“But if he doesn’t lead and he’s in the middle of the group, especially against Ducatis, then you get stuck there and you cannot do anything because they have good riders plus good brake points and good acceleration. It’s more and more difficult.
“But if he did it in the first part of the season, he can do it again in the last two races, so let’s see. But of course, Pecco has done an amazing second part of the season as well so both of them deserve it.”
However, not all of Quartararo’s rivals fully appreciate his underdog situation, with Suzuki rider Joan Mir, who has undergone a punishing and underperforming season, quick to point out that if anything, he feels envy rather than empathy towards the Yamaha rider.
“I don’t feel sorry about nobody,” the 2020 world champion laughed, “because they are my rivals. They don’t feel sorry about me, so probably I don’t feel sorry about them.
“He’s in a better situation than me at the moment, so I don’t feel sorry. Fabio is in a difficult moment because, you know, he was able to be really strong at the beginning of the year, but now he’s struggling more.
“I think he has to probably forget about the devils and think just about riding. It’s so easy to say and so difficult to – let’s see if he can be more lucky and can make a good race. I always wish the best for the rivals.”
