Fabio Quartararo dominated yesterday’s Italian MotoGP at a sombre Mugello circuit shaken by the death of Swiss 19-year-old Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier who succumbed to injuries sustained in a multi-bike qualifying crash.
Yamaha’s French world championship leader held up a Swiss flag on the podium in honour of a “friend” whose promising young career was cut short in brutal fashion.
“This one’s for Jason,” said Quartararo.
“It was a strange day, a lot of emotion, every time I passed turn nine I was thinking about Jason.
“It’s not a great feeling, you achieve a win but we lose one of our friends.”
Quartararo crossed the line with over two and a half seconds of daylight back to Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira in second, with reigning world champion Joan Mir completing the podium.
The sixth leg of the season was preceded by a minute’s silence for the sport’s first fatality since Luis Salom died in practice at the Catalonia Moto2 Grand Prix in Barcelona in 2016.
As the MotoGP roadshow persevered despite the tragic circumstances, it was Quartararo, who had set a new lap record when securing pole on Saturday, who emerged with his third win of the season to tighten his grip on the riders’ standings.
He now has a 24-point cushion over Zarco with Francesco Bagnaia, an early faller Sunday, a further two points back in third and Australian Jack Miller, winner of the two races before Mugello, in fourth.
After battling with Quartararo in the early laps, Zarco was forced to watch his countryman ride away into the distance and focus on keeping Oliveira behind him. The two Team Suzuki Ecstar riders – Mir and Alex Rins – had troubles making passes stick on Miller , that Ducati power enabling the Australian to overtake Mir and Rins on the straight. Eventually though, Rins and Mir got through and the latter was able to drag himself and Rins up to the Zarco and Oliveira podium fight.
With eight laps remaining, Oliveira skipped past Zarco for the first time at Turn 11 to take P2. Exactly the same manoeuvre was produced by Mir a lap later as the reigning world champion picked up P3, and he crucially held Zarco at bay into Turn 1. Rins then pounced with six laps to go as Zarco now sat P5, with Brad Binder of Red Bull KTM, Miller and Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia lurking.
With five to go, Rins then crashed out at the final corner from fourth place – the fourth DNF in a row for the Spaniard. Oliveira was able to fend off Mir, but after exceeding track limits by millimetres on the final lap at Turn 5, the Portuguese rider was demoted one position. Mir was initially promoted to P2 before it was deemed he too exceeded track limits, which saw the results stay as they were: Oliveira P2, Mir P3. Zarco missed out by just under a second in fourth.
Binder handed KTM a double top five at the Italian GP and claims his equal best finish of the season, Miller comes home P6 in a quiet outing. Aleix Espargaro impressed again to pick up a P7, with Maverick Vinales taking the chequered flag in eight on his Yamaha. The 2019 Mugello winner Danilo Petrucci of Tech3 KTM was ninth, while Valentino Rossi of Yamaha SRT completed the top 10 on home soil.
Marc Marquez crashed his Honda at Turn 3 on Lap 2 unhurt.


RESULTS
MotoGP results (top 10)
1. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 41:16.344
2. Miguel Oliveira (POR/KTM) +2.592
3. Joan Mir (ESP/Suzuki) +3.000
4. Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati-Pramac)  +3.535
5. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) +4.903
6. Jack Miller (AUS/Ducati) +6.233
7. Aleix Espargaro (ESP/Aprilia) +8.030
8. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) +17.239
9. Danilo Petrucci (ITA/KTM-Tech3) +23.296
10. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha-SRT) +25.146
Standings (top 3)
1. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 105 pts
2. Johann Zarco (FRA/Ducati-Pramac) 81
3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 79


Moto2 results (top 3)
1. Remy Gardner (AUS/Kalex) 39:17.667
2. Raul Fernandez (ESP/Kalex) +0.014
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA/Kalex) +8.021
Standings (top 3)
1. Remy Gardner (AUS/Kalex) 114 pts
2. Raul Fernandez (ESP/Kalex) 108
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA/Kalex) 88


Moto3 results (top 3)
1. Dennis Foggia (ITA/Honda) 39:37.497
2. Jaume Masia (ESP/KTM) +0.036
3. Gabriel Rodrigo (ARG/Honda) +0.145
Standings (top 3)
1. Pedro Acosta (ESP/KTM) 111 pts
2. Jaume Masia (ESP/KTM) 59
3. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN/KTM) 57