MotoGP San Marino GP 2020 Pre-race Talking Points

If you saw the MotoGP rounds in Brno and the Red Bull Ring double-header, you would wonder what happened to Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha. Two straight poles and wins in the opening two rounds gave way to struggling to get anywhere near the podium. Four Yamaha riders in the top four after qualifying for the San Marino GP indicated that normal service had been resumed. The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is a far cry from the power-reliant Red Bull Ring circuit. The 4.226km circuit lays a heavy emphasis on handling, much like Jerez where Yamaha and Quartarao dominated. So seeing Maverick Vinales on pole and Quartararo on the front row didn’t come as much of a surprise.

Yamaha rules

A historic first-ever front row lockout for Yamaha in the MotoGP premier class underscored how much of an outlier Austria was. Championship leader Fabio Quartararo’s wins in the opening two rounds at Jerez netted him a maximum possible 50 points. In the three races after that at Brno and the Red Bull Ring, the Frenchman scored a total of just 20 points. Factory Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales, who finished second behind Quartararo in the two Jerez races, only managed to net eight points in the next three races. Andrea Dovizioso is currently just three points behind.

Disappearing act

Ducati and KTM riders appeared to have found a groove in the last three races by winning all three. Factory KTM rider Brad Binder won in Brno, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso won the first Austrian race, and Tech 3 KTM’s Miguel Olivera took a shock win in the second Austrian race. The highest placed Ducati rider in qualifying was Jack Miller, over 0.6 seconds slower than pole sitter Vinales. Binder was 16th, Dovizioso 9th and Olivera 12th, respectively. Aside from poor one lap pace, the pace of the KTM or Ducati riders over a long run doesn’t appear to be enough to challenge Yamaha either. 

Fabio on form

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Quartararo may not have gotten pole position, but his long run pace in the fourth free practice session was the best of any rider on the grid. The young Frenchman appears to have a smooth and consistent riding style reminiscent of former three-time champion Jorge Lorenzo. Betting on him as the winner on Sunday appears to be the right choice based on his consistency and the track favouring Yamaha. 

Night and day

The San Marino GP qualifying session is not the first time Maverick Vinales has been strong in qualifying. His lap broke the all-time lap record around the circuit and the Spaniard was quite pumped about it. However, he has developed a nasty habit of dropping down the order at the start of the race. Worse still, he struggles for consistent race pace. That is an area that Petronas Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo excels in. Vinales will need to really be on his game in the race, when it counts.