Is Fabio Quartararo the most talented rider in MotoGP? Plenty of people think so, including a significant number of his fellow riders.
Quartararo, of course, won the MotoGP championship in 2021, and was cruising to a second title in 2022 with a 90 point lead half-way through the season. What happened in the second half of the 2022 series was, in essence, a collapse in Quarataro’s competitiveness (and Yamaha’s) that has yet to be fully addressed.
Pushed by Quartararo, Yamaha has hired at least two engineers away from Ducati, and brought in the supremely talented teammate Alex Rins, who is known to provide accurate, constructive feedback to the motorcycle engineers. Yamaha is also trying to add another team next year (perhaps, Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team), which would give it four Yamahas on the grid, and substantially increase the data it has to continually improve its bike.
Notwithstanding these circumstances, it was rumored Quartararo was poised to move to Aprilia after the expiration of his Yamaha contract at the end of this year. Now, somewhat surprisingly, Yamaha has announced that Quartararo has agreed to stay with it for two additional seasons, through the end of 2026. Here is the press release from Yamaha:
Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), 5th April 2024 – It is with great pleasure that Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. confirm Fabio Quartararo as a Factory Yamaha rider for the 2025 and 2026 MotoGP season.
Keeping the exceptionally talented Frenchman in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team was top priority for the Iwata factory, as they are putting their full effort into supporting Quartararo. His decision to ‘stay with the blue team’ was positively influenced by the strong commitment Yamaha has made to return to winning ways with the ongoing development of the YZR-M1.
Though ‘only’ in their fourth year together, the Quartararo-Yamaha combination is already considered a natural pairing amongst MotoGP fans. The successful partnership led to Quartararo’s first MotoGP World Championship Title in 2021, in his very first season with the Factory Team, and to the Vice Champion Title in 2022.
Further Yamaha highlights on Quartararo’s résumé are the 8 race wins and 21 podiums with the Factory Team over the 2021-2024 seasons so far, as well as the 3 race wins and 10 podiums with the satellite team the two years prior. Moreover, he secured 16 pole positions, and 41 front-row starts out of a total of 93 Grand Prix weekends aboard the YZR-M1.
These achievements, on top of his undeniable skills, unequalled motivation, and infectious cheerful personality, have Yamaha fully confident in their partnership with the 24-year-old.
LIN JARVIS – Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing
“We are very pleased that Fabio will remain a Yamaha rider.
“Keeping Fabio as a part of the Factory Team is integral to Yamaha’s MotoGP Project. Fabio is an exceptional talent, a hard worker, a great team player, and he has many competitive years ahead of him.
“Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha Motor Racing, and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are sparing no effort to ensure a bright future with Fabio by taking a more ‘aggressive approach’ to bike development.
“We have already made significant changes to our organisation including a new internal management system, recruitment of top expertise within the industry, new external technical partnerships, increased development budget, and an intensified testing programme. All these changes are designed to speed up the process for us to return to winning ways.
“Fabio has understood this commitment, and this has given him the confidence to make his decision to stay with us for the coming years.
“Fabio has been with Yamaha since 2019 and with us, the Factory Team, since 2021. In a relatively short time span of just four years, we achieved many successes: 8 wins, 21 podiums, a MotoGP World Title, and a Vice Champion Title.
“We are the first to admit that there is much work to do to get back to the competitive level we were at in 2021 and the first half of 2022. But with Fabio you know he will always put in 100% of his best effort. It also comes natural to him to create harmony and a good atmosphere with all staff members. He can count on the Team’s and Yamaha’s full support every step of the way as we challenge to win more championships together.”
FABIO QUARTARARO
“I am super happy to announce that I am going to continue my adventure in BLUE!
“Last winter Yamaha proved to me that they have a new approach and a new aggressive mindset. My confidence is high: we will be back at the front together!
“Six years ago, they gave me the chance to step up to MotoGP, and since then we have achieved great things together. We still have a long way ahead of us to start fighting for victory again. I will work hard, and I am sure that, together, we will achieve our dream once more!”
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