MotoGP Malaysia Sepang J2: when Fabio Quartararo cracks Marc Márquez

Marc Márquez does not suffer many defeats. This year alone, he has 10 pole positions and 11 victories with an eighth outright title already in his pocket. Usually, this is the reference we look for when we are on the track. But in Malaysia, on the Sepang track, a moment happened that counts in history. The same Márquez wanted to follow Fabio Quartararo, very fit this weekend and new track record holder. The Honda official likes to play with his opponents and fool them. But this time, in a direct confrontation from all points of view, he bit the dust, and not just a little...

Marc Márquez knows that fabio quartararo is his next danger in the Grand Prix. It is for this reason that he does not give up, that he always wants to put him under the snuffer and, by dint of the last lap of a Grand Prix lost for victory, to anchor in his mind that at the end , he’s always the one who wins. But during this qualification in Malaysia, he lowered his flag for the first time in an intense and direct confrontation. A duel that was not only played against the clock, but also in the head.

During this Q2 at Sepang, decisive for gaining pole position, Marc Márquez had clearly established a strategy: never let go of the rear wheel fabio quartararo. Already a sign of recognition and helplessness. But precisely, if the Spaniard still managed to beat the Frenchman while not being in a favorable position, the blow could be even harder for the opponent to take.

The plan went well on the first run. But during the second, where Márquez quickly stuck to Fabio right out of the pitlane, the 20-year-old Petronas driver responded. Understanding the maneuver, he accepted the mental challenge in the launch lap which he wanted to be slow and found himself a Danilo Petrucci as a providential bulwark. He passed it at the right time, obliging Márquez to force to stay in his wake. A deviation from the trajectory, a rush to quickly get back on track with cooled tires caused the Honda to disintegrate and send its driver into the air.

The duel was lost and at this level of competition, that is important, even for a simple pole position. This remains a victory against the one who is said to be unbeatable. He was caught at his own game and fabio quartararo taught him a harsh lesson. Because the fall was violent. The Petronas driver showed this Saturday who was the strongest and this can only make him even more confident. Exactly what you don't want Márquez to better keep him in check.

We will see, on Sunday, the consequences of this game on the outcome of the Malaysian race, the start of which will be controlled by Quarterly in pole position for the fifth time this year and with a new track record. Marc Márquez will start eleventh and crumpled. But more wounded in his pride than in his flesh and knowing that a first success for the tricolor would awaken in him a formidable appetite and reveal an assurance that it will be even more difficult for him to confine...