Quartararo: Hand injury, P12 'no strategy'. Morbidelli: ‘Penalty fair’

14-points behind Francesco Bagnaia heading into the penultimate round, the reigning champion badly needed a strong qualifying to aid his chances of making an early escape in the race.

Instead, the Frenchman suffered not only his worst grid position of the season but also a finger injury, thought to be a fracture, sustained in an FP4 fall.

The only positive news for Quartararo was that Bagnaia and third-in-the-standings Aleix Espargaro will line-up just ahead of him on the grid, in ninth and tenth. The Ducati rider fell twice on Saturday, with Aprilia’s Espargaro also finishing qualifying in the gravel.

“The pace was not too bad but starting from so far, it's difficult. So let's see,” Quartararo said.

“I think starting from P12, you have no strategy. The strategy is to try to go as fast as possible, and then see how it's going. But I think there is not a specific strategy.

“But first, see which tyre to use, because unfortunately we did not have so much time to try the medium and the soft. But I think tomorrow [in warm-up] we will try to put more laps on the soft, and see how it's going.”

Four crashes from the top three title contenders on Saturday led some to suggest the trio were all feeling the pressure, especially with 

“To be honest, I don't really feel the pressure,” Quartararo insisted. “But it's really strange the way we are having these last races.”

Bagnaia, Quartararo and Espargaro have a combined total of five non-scores from the last four rounds.

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Turn 8 was today's accident blackspot for the title challengers, who each fell once at the bumpy right-hander, with Quartararo then suffering another scare in qualifying.

“Yeah, there are many bumps in this corner, but in qualifying as soon as you normally touch the gas, it should be better. But as soon as I touched the gas, I lost the front, so it was pretty strange,” Quartararo said.

The young Frenchman was seen by the MotoGP doctor after his FP4 fall and had a bandage on his left middle finger, but insisted: “Honestly, in qualifying, it was not a problem.”

The same hand will need to operate the thumb brake and holeshot device tomorrow but again, “It will not be a problem. In the race, I will have many things to think about apart from the finger. And for sure I will take something [pain killer] for the race.”

Quartararo must stay within 24-points of Bagnaia to at least take the title fight down to the Valencia finale.

Best qualifying, but double long lap for Morbidelli

While Quartararo had a qualifying to forget, Monster Yamaha team-mate Franco Morbidelli will start from a season-best of seventh.

Unfortunately for the Italian, he will then have to serve a double long lap penalty for obstructing Bagnaia and Marc Marquez at the end of FP3.

“Finally, a good day. A good qualifying, good time attacks this morning, this afternoon. It feels good,” Morbidelli said. “We started the weekend well and then we kept progressing and were able to maintain the level that we have with the used tyres also with the time attack. Which is great! it brings us up there.

“For sure tomorrow the two long lap penalties will hit our race pretty harshly. And pretty hard, but it's OK. There are many, many positive things about this weekend, and I'll take them. We take them. The crew deserves these kind of performances and I'm happy about that.”

Morbidelli: ‘Penalty fair’

Explaining why he had slowed on the racing line, Morbidelli said: “I just came out from the pit box and I was paying attention to the rain and the flags.

“This is a track that you can be in one corner and it can be completely dry and you can reach the next corner it can be pouring bullets.

“So I was trying to pay a lot of attention on what was going on, first of all in front of me, because there were some riders cruising, and second of all to the flags and to the sky.

“I didn't keep some ‘space’ for caring about who was coming behind me. And Pecco was coming really hot behind me. And yeah, I slowed him down and the penalty is correct. I mean, it's fair.

“For sure, I think we can make some progress on this. Like blue flags, helping the rider to know a little bit more about what's going on around him and behind him especially.

“But if I would have had more attention to what was going on behind me, I would have avoided this kind of episode.”

It wasn’t the first time Morbidelli has held up other riders this season, hence the double long lap.

“Unfortunately I had two episodes in Assen. It’s the rules. I take it,” he said.

Quizzed on the possibility of trying to help Quartararo’s championship chances tomorrow, Morbidelli replied:

“Ah, I will have to do my race. I will have to do the best that I can to don't get involved in fights that don't belong to me. But anyway, do the best race that I can.”