For the second time this season, we place our bets on Quartararo
At the Australian GP he crashed in FP1, injuring his left foot and preventing him from participating in FP2. Despite this and the wild weather conditions throughout the weekend, he managed to qualify second on the starting grid. In the race he was involved in Petrucci’s crash before even reaching the second corner. Fabio is extremely strong, his speed is more than apparent and he will be at a track where he has already tested the MotoGP bike. Although testing was 8 months ago, having previously ridden there will surely help as it did in Jerez, Qatar and Misano.
On the other hand, Yamaha has always done well in Sepang, as evidenced by the fact that Johann Zarco climbed the podium the two times he ran here with the brand, both times starting from the front row. Valentino was close to winning here last year, until he crashed with 4 laps to go. Lorenzo was always on the podium with Yamaha. Viñales had a race last year with a victory pace, but a bad grid position and his problems passing his competitor prevented him from reaching a more dignified position. Based on all this, we think that Yamaha will be the motorcycle to beat this weekend.
As stated, in 2018 Viñales ran among the best, so he is more than likely to be competitive again this weekend. What happened at the last GP will likely fuel the fury that he sometimes needs to bring out his aggressiveness, and on this occasion, end up on top.
Dovizioso was looking forward to this race. He won in 2016, his first victory with the Ducati and the first of 13, and also in 2017. His last two podiums came after serious comebacks from poor grid positions, first in Aragon, and then in Japan. The Australian appointment is never a favorable track for him, quite the opposite situation as the Malaysian circuit.
The Suzukis have disappeared from the podium since they won at Silverstone. While Rins seems to have taken a step back, Mir has taken one forward. Nonetheless, we don’t consider either of them having a chance for the win.
And if you are wondering about Marc, the rider experiencing his best season with 5 consecutive victories, this is not one of his favorite circuits, although that’s not an indication that he won’t win. He has been demonstrating throughout 2019 that he can win even when everything is against him. He is also the last winner of this GP, another factor that puts him at the top. Not betting on him for the win is due to his history here: A crash in 2011 deprived him of the Moto2 title; the following year another fall complicated the title; in 2015 was the big controversy with Valentino that was publicized so much; In 2016 he fell, and in 2017 he suffered one of his worst weekends with his Honda’s setup.
Marc is going to go all out to try to finish this season winning everything that remains, but we believe that Quartararo can take the win.
