Quartararo 'feeling positive' after surgery, Vinales 'curious' for Le Mans
Fabio Quartararo arrives at his home Le Mans MotoGP round still recovering from last week's arm-pump surgery, hastily arranged in the aftermath of the Jerez troubles.
The Monster Yamaha rider looked on course to extend his world championship lead with a third win in a row as he began to edge clear of Jack Miller in the Spanish race.
But chronic arm pump saw the young Frenchman not only lose the lead but drop all the way down to 13th place in the space of nine laps.
Electing to skip the post-race test to undergo medical checks, Quartararo's right arm was promptly operated on at the CH Aix en Provence hospital on Tuesday, 4th May. It is the same arm that needed surgery for 'Compartment Syndrome' in 2019.
Although Quartararo's wound won't be fully healed this weekend, Miller said he experienced no real difficulties on his return from arm pump surgery between Qatar and Portimao and the #20 is 'feeling positive' for his home round.
"For sure, the way that we ended the Spanish GP was a shame, but the positive thing we take away from it is that we are fast enough to battle for podiums and wins," Quartararo said.
"I‘ve had surgery for the compartment syndrome, and it was successful. I‘ve been training since then, and I‘m feeling positive about this weekend.
"Anyway, it's always nice to go to Le Mans, because it‘s my home race. I will try my best to be up there at the top again as soon as possible."
Quartararo, who is only two points behind new title leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), qualified on pole position in the dry for last year's French race, but could only manage ninth in the wet grand prix.
A fraction behind Quartararo's Petronas machine at Le Mans last year was his current team-mate Maverick Vinales.
The Spaniard sits third in the world championship, 16 points from the top, and hasn't managed a podium since his season-opening Qatar victory.
However, Vinales topped the post-race test at Jerez, where he focussed on improving his braking, and is curious to see if the steps made work as well at Le Mans.
"This will be an interesting weekend for us," Vinales said. "The positive test in Jerez has given us extra motivation. I‘m really curious to see if what we found there works here too, and what we can do this weekend.
"Le Mans is a track I like. I‘ve had some nice battles there, and usually we are competitive because the circuit lay-out suits our bike.
"But we also know that the weather can be tricky at the French GP. It tends to change quite often, so we will have to pay close attention to the weather forecasts and make sure we‘re competitive in every session."
Team director Massimo Meregalli added: "Usually, we see the French GP as a good opportunity for us. The Le Mans track‘s lay-out suits our bike and we know both our riders have great affection for this circuit.
"However, it looks like the weather conditions will play a big part in this GP. We haven‘t had a wet race so far this season, and the forecasts predict mixed conditions over the course of the weekend, so we have to be prepared."
