Fabio Quartararo will he win on Sunday his 6th victory of the season in Aragon to get closer to the title of MotoGP world champion that no French has conquered before him?
Or will he find the local Marc Marquez on his way?
If the French Yamaha rider, still full of control at Silverstone, has 65 points ahead of his immediate pursuer, the defending champion Joan Mir (Suzuki), he prefers to shower the enthusiasm.
“
Aragon is arguably the worst circuit on the calendar, not for Yamaha but for me. I was quick here sometimes, I even had pole position last year, but I was never consistent there. It would be good to change that and I want to learn to improve myself
r ”, underlines the Niçois. Without a victory at Motorland, the scene of the 13th round of the season, a good result would allow him to get closer to the title while there are six races left before the end of the season. Behind Mir, the other Frenchman engaged in MotoGP, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac) and the Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) are respectively 69 and 70 points behind Quartararo.
Neither Zarco nor Bagnaia have yet won in the supreme category and are eager for success.
But their mighty Ducatis are usually not comfortable on the Spanish turnstile and the last victory for Borgo Panigale's brand dates back to 2010. The Suzuki of Mir and his teammate and compatriot Alex Rins are more so like the one. showed Rins' victory last year.
After a difficult start to the season, the world champion machines last year seem to have regained their rhythm even if they have not yet won in 2021.
To read also MotoGP: Quartararo, the dream of a coronation still grows
Marc Marquez time?
Marc Marquez, the six-time world champion, born not far from the Aragon circuit, considers himself at home here and his five successes in the premier class bear witness to this.
But he has struggled to regain the top since his accident which kept him away from the circuits last season.
His right arm still pains him and he holds the sad record for the most crashes in MotoGP since the start of the season.
Marc Marquez struggles to regain his feelings after his serious injury.
ANDREW BOYERS / REUTERS
Currently 12th in the championship, 147 points behind Quartararo, his hopes for a 7th title are zero but he must prove to himself that he remains at the highest level.
Aragon is one of the few circuits where the riders turn counterclockwise and it was at a similar circuit, the Sachsenring in Germany, that he scored his only victory of the season in June.
“
Left turns put less pressure on the right arm
,” the Honda rider said Thursday, while confident that the first laps of the race, when the tires are new and offer the most grip, are the most difficult because "
the most physical
".
His ex-teammate Vinales at Aprilia
The eyes of the public, around 20,000 people will be admitted to the circuit, will also be on another Spaniard, Maverick Vinales, who will make his Aprilia debut. After leaving Yamaha on a dark history of accusations of sabotage - and being totally dominated by Fabio Quartararo - Vinales intends to show that he can still aim for a 10th victory in MotoGP.
It comes when the Aprilia, long relegated to the middle of the grid, come to the fore as evidenced by the 3rd place of his new teammate Aleix Espargaro, also Spanish, at the last British GP, the first podium in MotoGP. for the Italian brand. Present in MotoGP since 2015 with the Gresini team, the Noale firm is preparing to become a real factory team next year and seems to have found the secrets of speed. "
The six races that remain will mainly be used to prepare for next season and our priority is to learn,
" he said Thursday.
In the other categories, the Australian Remy Gardner will try to increase his lead over the Spaniard Raul Fernandez in Moto2. In Moto3, the phenomenon Pedro Acosta, already a five-time winner for his first season in the category, will try to further widen the gap in the championship after his poor performance (11th) during the last event at Silverstone.
