MotoGP leader Fabio Quartararo suffers big high-side in Aragon FP3

UPDATE from Petronas: "News about Fabio: rider is OK. He has pain in the hip, but Xrays confirmed that nothing is broken."

MotoGP Championship leader Fabio Quartararo has been taken to the medical centre after suffering a nasty looking high-side during the closing stages of third free practice at Motorland Aragon, the Frenchman needing a stretcher to be removed from the circuit.

Occurring at Turn 14 under braking in a similar premise to the tumble that befell him in FP1 on Friday, where he was able to slide away from the Petronas SRT Yamaha on that occasion, this incident was rather more violent.

Running a little wide out onto the kerb, the front began to fold under braking - as it has done for a handful of riders already this weekend there - before the tyre bit and flicked him the other way, Quartararo getting a heavy impact from his bucking bike as it spat him into the air, before suffering another thump on an already bruised hip as his hit the ground.

Immediately reaching for his left shoulder/collarbone, marshals and medical staff quickly attended and Quartararo needed help to get up on his feet, before he used the available stretcher to be taken to a vehicle that will transfer him to the medical centre.

The incident could be a huge blow to his title aspirations if at the very least he is unable to compete at full strength this weekend, though the violence of the impact and the caution he was taking to get back to his feet could be sign of a more serious injury.

Though MotoGP Aragon FP3 was started an hour later to get around concerns the circuit was simply too cold to be safe, several riders had experienced moments in FP3, including one of Quartararo’s biggest rivals Andrea Dovizioso, who fell at Turn 6 albeit without injury.

HUGE drama in FP3!!! @FabioQ20 suffers a big highside at Turn 14 and is stretchered away! #AragonGP pic.twitter.com/1HhhtjVTlv

— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) October 17, 2020