Andorran prince eyes MotoGP breakthrough

LA MASSANA, Andorra (AFP) — At his home in Andorra, perched high in the Pyrenees, Fabio Quartararo has his sights set on an horizon far beyond the snow-capped mountain range and to “taking the last step” to become France’s first ever MotoGP champion.

“I’m ready to win the title,” said the native of Nice who graduates from Yamaha’s factory team from the Japanese manufacturer’s satellite outfit in a straight swop with nine-time champion Valentino Rossi.

“It’s been a dream come true changing teams, and to have made that switch with Valentino (Rossi),” Quartararo tells AFP.

“He’s been my idol since I was a little boy, so it’s a really big deal.”

I came straight back home. We ate McDonald’s to celebrate.

Last year, in only his second season in MotoGP, Quartararo was quick out of the blocks, reeling off back-to-back wins in the opening two races to put himself bang in contention for the world title.

But then, “huge problems with the motorcycle” put a spanner in his championship challenge. He ended the Covid-19 curtailed campaign after securing a third win in eighth place behind Joan Mir.

“Last season was really challenging,” he recalled. “I started out strong, but then I experienced technical issues.”

“Unfortunately, it was only my second MotoGP season, so I didn’t know how to deal with the problems properly.”

Pandemic precautions inevitably put a dampener on marking his opening wins.

“I came straight back home. We ate McDonald’s to celebrate.”

“I would have loved to have been able to spend the evening with my parents, my friends and my brother but, unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed.”

He says the ever present threat of the virus was a draining backdrop to the 2020 campaign.