Quartararo or Bagnaia? Who will be the MotoGP 2021 champion?

After the race for the Grand Prix of the Americans in Austin, only Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia remained in the fight for this year's world title. The last three races before the end of the season are 52 points behind the leading Frenchman, which means that the Yamaha racer will become the world champion in the next race if Misano leaves with at least a 50-point advantage. This may not be such an easy task, given that Bagnaia won the first race of the year in Misano.

Quartararo says he will approach the last Italian race this year in the same way as this year. “I’m not going to be obsessed with becoming a champion,” he said. “I have a nice advantage in the championship and I don't think I need to win the title already in Misano, where Pecco was very fast in the last race. I will do my best. If we succeed, it will be great, if not, we will have another chance, so I will drive calmly. ”

Although Quartararo said before the race in Austin that he would drive for the win, it seemed at the race that the Frenchman was avoiding a duel with leader Marco Marquez. “I tried, because a large group of racers was driving behind me. Jorge (Martin) tried to overtake me in the first corner, so the only solution was to drive faster. I did that too, but I was slower than Marc all weekend, especially having a lot of trouble on worn tires. But in the end, we achieved the main goal, ”explained Quartararo, who finished second in the finish, ahead of Bagnaio.