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!”
He’s now the highest paid rider in MotoGp . That has to chap some other riders butts lol …like the 14 riders usually ahead of him.
So who is wining? I don’t see Q crashing a lot.
It’s a job. He’ll be able to retire pretty nicely. Where’s the rub?
I guess he likes risking his life for the 15th place. Hard to root for a guy that only cares about money.
Okay he signed up. No more complaining about the bike, right?
We can only wish. It seems unlikely he will be honest and zip it (pun intended) since money was obviously far more important than being competitive.
I’d like to see Yamaha come out with their own V4. That’s highly doubtful, but I bet the rules change big time to allow Honda and Yamaha to be competitive. Less CC’s, less aero.
I think it’s the same as it ever was. Competitiveness is less about capability and more about cost threshold. Honda used to happily outspend everyone and they’re (and Yamaha) unwilling to invest at that level anymore.
They spent much of that money on programming the software, which became homogenized by DORNA.
Yamaha is the last of the inline 4’s, with the new aero being so prominent, the corner speed the Yamaha has in abundance, gets blunted by the V4 engines power down the straights. Before without Aero, it was about 50/50, not anymore with Aero. If, thats a big IF, Yamaha can make their engine work competitively, it will be impressive. So many want to bash Honda, because they spent the money to win, but somehow look the other way when Ducati does it, Hmmm?
Yamaha doesn’t stand a chance at being competitive for years beyond where they are now. Ducati,KTM, and Aprilia are so advanced and well stocked with excellent riding talent. Honda is only slightly better off because of deep pockets. Only if a major shake up arrives in the form of a weigh penalty or a displacement rule change will Honda and Yamaha have opportunity to gain position.
Honda and Yamaha now enjoy (well, they’re not “enjoying” them yet..) development concessions, similar to when Ducati and the other European brands were also-rans. It’ll be interesting if they’ll put their money where their mouths are and catch up.
I say it all the time, the field is closer and more competitive than it’s ever been. Yamaha and Honda seem to be losing by a lot but it’s actually very little, especially in the historical context, when 2nd tier teams and brands lost by laps, not seconds. Today’s seconds will cost a great deal of $$ to gain, though.
Was the scheduled MotoGP race in Argentina cancelled?
Yes. The government has no money to put the race on.
*The Socialist government had its purse strings pulled by a total bad ar se
Hmm… wonder what the government checkbook balance has to do with it?
The gov. used to fund a big chunk of the cost of putting the race on. I’ve read that it’s in such a remote place the logistics were a nightmare and costly.
I was actually in Buenos Aires in July of 2022 and have a friend that I correspond with. In 2022 they were experiencing over a 100% inflation rate. Now the rate is over 130%. Yet, no blood in the streets. At one intersection they were actually giving out money for people in a long line. I like Argentina and have hiked Patagonia at the Southern tip in 2018. Main problem is the government promising too much. Their health care is excellent and free. A lot of free stuff that can’t be financed any longer. If this inflation rate was in the US there would be blood in the streets.
Do hope that Yamaha finds a way to give Fabio a contending ride. Don’t know what is going on as some of his co-riders have been placing much higher.
Higher compensation is a factor, for sure, but can’t see him staying for the money if the chances of being competative are so low.
May be Yamaha will be the way it was before. May be
Money…. and I dont blame him. Aprilia offered $4m Euros/year, Yamaha $12m Euros/year. Ducati already has too many expensive riders and not enough of the best bikes to go around. KTM now has their budget wrapped up in Binder and super kid Acosta, Honda is more lost than Yamaha. Where else was Quatararo going to go?
Come on, do you really believe an all out competitor and world champion like Fabio would sign for another two years if Yamaha hasn’t shown him something that he believes he can win on? With the concessions Yamaha has for this season he may get an all new machine before the end of the year.
Yamaha’s promises of improvement would seem much more “believable” to FQ when delivered on a stack of $million$ 3x taller than the other offer.
The other manufacturers told Quatararo they didn’t want him walking around with this leathers open the front and to be more professional about that. So, he decided to stay with Yamaha to show of his magnificent chest.
You need a Kleenex?
Why? Gotta be money because as good a rider as he is he can’t make that Yamaha go any faster. And that’s Yamaha’s fault.
Winner winner KFC dinner