A regular polesitter in his rookie MotoGP season (2019) and again in 2020, Quartaraᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚro has been anything but that in recent times as Ducati has become a major force over a single lap. 

The Yamaha rider has just one pole position to his namꩲe this seaso🦋n (Mandalika), and although Quartararo has proven to be better in race situations, it’s certainly been challenging for the Frenchman as securing a front row start has arguably become more crucial than ever before. 

Speaking after his brilliant qualifying perf൲ormance at Assen, Quartararo told MotoGP.com: "I’m happy to have made that front row with the army of Ducatis around me. Itꦜ’s almost impossible to make a pole position with these Ducatis. 

"I was really on the limit [his fastest lap] and on the next lap I wanted to try but I knew it was going to be a little bit worse. Today, the front 🔯row was the target."

Worryinglꦍy for the rest of the grid, Quartararo has become an even better racer than qualifier over the last two seasons - that’s not to say his qualifying has become worse, in fact, it remains just as gooཧd.

That’s why a front row start is as good as pole for the current world champion, who has the chance to win his third consecutive race on Sunday - his previous two wins also came from🍎 front row starts. 

Race of attrition not on the cards in Assen, ‘I will push 100%’ - Quartararo

Whether it was Mugello, Catalunya or Sachsenring, recent MotoGP races have largely been dominated by who could suffer the least wꦿith tyre degradatio🐬n or overcoming extreme heat. 

However, that’s not likely to be the case come Sunday, wit💦h Quartararo ready to push flat out. 

Quartararo said: "I will push 100% from the first lap to the last. Maybe I will need the whole five weeks [to recover] laughs].🃏 For me, this track is one of the most p♚hysical on the calendar and yes, we will all be in the same situation tomorrow."

Can Bagnaia stop Quartararo/reignite title ambitions?

Although it's a slim possibility, Bagnaia still has the chance to win the 2022 MotoGP title. In order to do so the Italian will have to start winning races and ꦫhope Quartararo has a few difficult weekends in the process.

Given their intense battle on lap one in Sachsen𒉰ring, it’s not a stretch to say we were ro🍬bbed of a potential race-long fight, something Bagnaia is keen to make happen this weekend.

Asked about who the strongest riders are for Sunday’s race, Bagnaia had one clear name in mind: "For sure, Fabio on this track is always so competitive. I would like to have a fight but [this time] until the end of the r𒉰ace, not just the first two laps. 

"I think it’s more difficult on this track to open a gap, bജut we have demonstrated we can be so competitive in the first l🐼aps, Fabio too."

Why did Bagnaia end his Assen MotoGP qualifying run early?

During Q2 Bagnaia returned to pit lane immediately after setting a new all-time lap record. But 🦄with two minutes still🔯 remaining, there was a chance, albeit an unlikely one, that he could be beaten to pole.

"More than this [lap time] was impossible for me. That’s why I stopped in th♐e box,"&nb๊sp;added the Italian. "I said [to himself[ ‘if someone overtook [me] then this is okay’. 

"But I’m very happy with this qualifying. This morning I w✃as struggling a lot to be competitive, but thanks to my team we did a good job. 

"In FP4 we found a way to work and it has helped me a lot with race tyres. On the time attacks we are al🃏ways so competitiꦛve."