Fabio Quartararo has finished the 2019 MotoGP World Championship in seventh heaven by taking yet another podium position at the season-ending Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana through finishing second. However, it was a less fortunate end to the season for fellow PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team rider Franco Morbidelli, who crashed out of the race at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo from sixth place.
Quartararo was able to convert pole position into the lead in the early laps of the race, breaking away from the chasing pack to stretch the gap out to nearly a second after only two laps. Hunted down by Marc Marquez as the race progressed, the World Champion was eventually able to squeeze past Quartararo for the lead, with the PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider slotting in behind him to the chequered flag and podium number seven of his rookie season.
Morbidelli also had a strong series of opening laps, closing down the battle for the podium from fifth on the grid before dropping back a little and finding himself in a lonely sixth place. Making a small mistake on lap 19 of 27, he unfortunately ended his season with a DNF – but thankfully escaped uninjured from the crash.
Today’s results mean that Quartararo adds Independent Riders’ Champion to his list of accolades from his rookie season, as well as Rookie of the Year and helping PETRONAS Yamaha SRT clinch the Independent Teams’ Championship. He finishes the 2019 MotoGP World Championship in fifth overall, with Morbidelli also inside the top ten in tenth and the team taking fourth in the Teams’ World Championship to round out a stunning debut season.
The 2020 MotoGP World Championship season will get underway with the Qatar Grand Prix on March 8th 2020, with Quartararo and Morbidelli having their first pre-season this Tuesday at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.