The final weapon Quartararo has to save his crumbling MotoGP title hopes

OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has lost the MotoGP championship lead for the first time since the Portuguese GP after a third non-score in four races at the Australian GP, putting his title defence onto its last legs. In terms of machinery, he is no match for Ducati-mounted Francesco Bagnaia. But the Yamaha rider does have one last weapon in his arsenal that could turn the tide...

Updated Oct 17, 2022, 3:02 PM

That Francesco Bagnaia leads the MotoGP world championship by 14 points with two rounds to go, having been 91 adrift after the 11th round in Germany, is as much a testament to the strength of the 2022 Ducati as it is to the failings of the Yamaha.

Quartararo has faced an uphill struggle since MotoGP came back from its summer break, scoring just one podium from the last seven races and 47 points relative to Bagnaia’s 127 - which came courtesy of his three wins and three other podiums in that same period.

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Author Lewis Duncan

Lewis Duncan is Autosport's International Editor and primary motorcycle racing reporter. A motorsport fan from a young age, Lewis became interested in journalism when he won the star letter competition in the February 2012 issue of F1 Racing Magazine. A member of the Autosport Academy from 2017, Lewis became a freelance motorcycle racing correspondent for Autosport in 2019 before becoming a full-time staffer in 2020 as International Editor.

While MotoGP coverage is his priority, Lewis also covers World Superbikes and road racing across the Motorsport Network, and hosts the Tank Slappers Podcast. He has also occasionally commentated on 750 Motor Club meetings. Away from motorsport, Lewis is a keen record collector with a collection unashamedly largely featuring Iron Maiden and Rush and an avid guitar player.