The pole seemed promised to him.
Having started off on top of the wheels during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday in Spielberg (11th round of the MotoGP season), Fabio Quartararo was stolen from pole position by Jorge Martin, on a cloud for a week.
On his Ducati-Primac, the 23-year-old Spaniard had already won last Sunday at the Styrian GP, his first success in the premier class.
#AustrianGP 🇦🇹
Jorge Martin takes the pole ahead of Fabio Quartararo!
🇫🇷 Johann Zarco, 4th
▶ ️ https://t.co/6vTgdTN2gP pic.twitter.com/IX0waTA4Ik
- CANAL + MotoGP ™ (@CanalplusMotoGP) August 14, 2021
However, the French stamped Yamaha split from the first lap of the RedBull Ring record (1′22′'677), beaten the day before by his compatriot Johann Zarco (1′22′'827), finally author of the fourth time. of qualif '.
We then thought Quartararo unattainable, but it was without counting on Martin who, lurking in the shadow and in the wake of ... his teammate Zarco, nabbed him in extremis the sixteenth pole of his career by going in turn to take the record of the runway (1′22′'643).
"We know very well that this is a circuit made for Ducatis"
"I am disappointed not to have taken pole position, especially here in Austria, because we know very well that this is a circuit made for Ducati", he regretted at the microphone of Canal +.
The 22-year-old from Nice appeared quite upset after qualifying that escaped him in the finish, and the second pole in two weeks won by the Spanish rookie.
#AustrianGP 🇦🇹
Fabio Quartararo: "I'm really disappointed [...] I would have liked to have taken pole here."
🗣️ pic.twitter.com/CEvhDQitJD
- CANAL + MotoGP ™ (@CanalplusMotoGP) August 14, 2021
Still leader of the championship in the general classification and on the way to the title, Quartararo will start all the same on the front row, Sunday at 2 p.m. Probably animated by a spirit of revenge. And with in a corner of the head that six of the last seven races contested on the asphalt of Spielberg were taken away by Ducati.
