13 MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020 sports Quartararo keeps cool to win in Andalucia Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha led from start to finish in the scorching heat of Jerez to win an incident-packed race

While Quartararo disappeared Mbappe, who is nursing an in- ahead in the heat haze, the two jured ankle, responded on Twit- • Yamaha works riders had to fend ter: “Congratulations. We can led Yamaha teammate off challenges from the Duca- say that you have good taste... Maverick Vinales for ti-Pramac pair of Italian Franc- 10/10.” much of the race esco Bagnaia, who climbed to Briton Cal Crutchlow, who second before his engine failed, returned to the track on a mis- AFP | London and Australian Jack Miller, who firing bike when it became clear crashed. that every finisher would collect Japanese rider Takaaki Nak- points, limped in more than a lap renchman Fabio Quar- agami (-LCR) inherited behind to pocket three of them. tararo won for the second fourth place. Crutchlow had undergone straight week at Jerez surgery on an injured wrist in F ‘He’s my idol’ yesterday as he dominated the the week. Andalucia MotoGP while bikes Rossi showed that, at 41, he is With Marquez missing, his crashed and broke down behind still capable of competing. younger brother and Honda him in searing heat. The seven-time MotoGP world teammate Alex, on only his sec- Quartararo, on a satellite champion has always enjoyed ond start at this level, set off Yamaha, was followed home by cheeky celebrations and this 21st and last on the grid after a Spaniard Maverick Vinales and time climbed onto a barrier crash in qualifying but climbed Italian veteran Valentino Rossi, and punched the air in a victory to eighth by the end. both on Yamaha factory bikes. dance in front of a grandstand Earlier, gained With the temperature reach- completely empty due to COV- his first Moto2 victory when he ing 40 degree Celsius and es- ID-19 restrictions. beat fellow Italian . timated at 60 degrees on the “To come back on the podium Japanese rider Tetsuta Na- track, only 13 of the 21 starters is not like a victory, but similar,” gashima, who crashed in prac- finished. said Rossi who is almost twice tice, could only manage 11th, but “That was tough,” said the the age of Quartararo. kept the championship lead, two 21-year-old French rider after Quartararo, who makes no se- points ahead of Bastianini. a Yamaha’s first podium sweep Petronas Yamaha SRT’s French rider Fabio Quartararo celebrates after winning cret of his admiration for Rossi, Marco Bezzechi, who start- in six years. agreed. ed from pole position, finished He has now won both races since 1999. ry, and Moto3, where he twice first lap. “He’s my idol and always has third, completing an all-Italian in the coronavirus-delayed Mo- Quartararo has now won more made the podium but never won. “I tried to overtake Fabio but been,” said the young French- podium. toGP season, with last week’s races at the elite level than he “It feels so good to make back- then I went wide and Fabio and man. In Moto3, Japan’s Tatsuki Spanish Grand Prix success the did in four seasons in Moto2, to-back wins,” he said. Valentino overtook me,” he said. “It’s fantastic to be next to him Suzuki won as championship first by a French rider in MotoGP where he recorded one victo- Quartararo has a 50-point As Quartararo burst clear, Ros- on the podium for my second leader Albert Arenas crashed lead over the reigning champion si, who started on the second win.” on lap 15. Valentino Rossi took a podium Marc Marquez, who was absent row of the grid, jumped to sec- As he took the chequered flag, Suzuki, who started from with a broken arm after his crash ond, overtaking Vinales. Quartararo also nodded to an- pole, scored his second victo- place for the 199th time in his pre- in the season opener. “It was impossible to breathe,” other sporting hero crossing his ry in the class and climbed to mier class career and first since Vinales is second on 40 points Vinales said. “I was stuck be - arms in an imitation of France second in the championship be- KNOW WHAT the Grand Prix of the Americas after finishing runner-up for the hind Valentino and I could not striker Kylian Mbappe’s goal hind Spaniard Arenas who had last year second straight race. breathe. I was destroyed. Maybe celebration. won the first two races of the Vinales rued a mistake on the the heat from the other bikes.” Paris Saint-Germain’s season. Halep pulls out of Palermo event Bartomeu has ‘no doubt’ AFP | Palmero orld number two Simo- Messi will stay at Barcelona Wna Halep has withdrawn from next month’s Palermo AFP | London for the sacking of coach Ernes- Ladies Open following Italy’s to Valverde in January. decision to impose a mandatory arcelona president Jo - He also led the fightback quarantine for people coming Bsep Maria Bartomeu re - from the Barcelona players from Romania and Bulgaria peated yesterday that he had over a dispute with the board Messi has said many amid the coronavirus pandem- “no doubt” that Lionel Messi in March regarding pay cuts times that he wants ic, organisers said yesterday. would sign a new contract during the coronavirus to retire here and I Italian Health Minister Rob- but added that the corona- pandemic. have no doubt that erto Speranza said on Friday virus lockdown had reduced Barcelona collapsed he will re-sign people who have been in Roma- club revenue by 30 percent after La Liga resumed JOSEP MARIA BARTOMEU nia and Bulgaria in the past 14 and would limit transfer to drop to second as days will be quarantined upon activity. Real Madrid took arrival in Italy, a move aimed at “Messi has said the title and the players, it is very difficult for preventing the importation of many times that 33-year-old them to come,” Bartomeu said. COVID-19 cases. Romanian tennis star Simona Halep reacts during a match (file photo) he wants to re- Messi was He said Barcelona had lost “We found out with great don champion and 2018 French tire here and I one of those 200 million euros ($233 mil- bitterness the decision of the Open winner, has also commit- have no doubt criticised. lion) due to the coronavirus world number two to cancel ted to the Prague Open, sched- that he will re- On anoth- lockdown, which started in her participation,” the tourna- uled to start on Aug. 10. sign,” said Bar- er long-run- March, and will fall short of ment’s director Oliviero Palma Palma said the organisers had tomeu in an in- ning issue, the the target of 1,100 million euros said in a statement. KNOW WHAT written an urgent letter to Ita- terview published possibility that under a five-year plan to next Palermo will be the first pro- ly’s health minister, asking for by Barcelona’s sports Neymar would season. He estimated the club fessional tennis event across the exemption for tennis players newspaper Mundo De- return from Par- would fall 30 per cent short. WTA and men’s ATP Tours after taking part in the event. portivo. is Saint-Germain, “Since March 14 we have a five-month break, with action Palermo will be the “Yesterday we were optimis- Messi’s contract ex- Bartomeu said he hardly received one euro,” said scheduled to get underway on first professional tic, and we had informed Ha- pires in June of 2021 could only see Bartomeu. “We have had to the clay courts of the Sicilian tennis event across lep’s staff about the fact that and local radio station the Brazilian ar- close the shops and the muse- capital from Aug. 3. the WTA and men’s professional players are not Cadena Ser reported at riving if the deal um, there have been no ticket “Given the recent rise in Cov- ATP Tours after a obliged to quarantine,” Palma the start of July that the involved a player sales. We returned the part of id-19 cases in Romania and my said. “We are embittered and Argentine had broken off swop. season tickets for the matches anxieties around international five-month break profoundly disappointed.” talks with the club. “Now we are that were not played.” air travel at this time, I have Palermo will have strict Messi has had regular dis- making deci- He said that they were able made the tough decision to ministry of health for all their health precautions and all agreements with the club’s sions and the to limit the damage because withdraw from Palermo,” Halep efforts on my behalf and I wish players will undergo COV- board. players, if they players accepted pay cuts and said on Twitter. the tournament a successful ID-19 tests before they come, He reacted publicly when Lionel do not come as exploiting temporary rules al- “I want to thank the tourna- week.” on arrival and every four days sporting director Eric Abidal Messi part of a player lowing it to cut pay to employ- ment director and the Italian Halep, the reigning Wimble- subsequently. appeared to blame the players exchange ees.