Метка: Fabio Quartararo

Yamaha exceeded own expectations with updated M1 in Barcelona MotoGP test

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Yamaha says it outperformed its own expectations in Tuesday’s official MotoGP test in Barcelona, with Fabio Quartararo clocking the second-fastest time of the day.

The Japanese manufacturer brought a revised version of the M1 to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, having managed to upgrade the chassis, aerodynamics and engine.

Factory rider Quartararo ended up just 0.4s behind Gresini’s Alex Marquez on the all-conquering GP24, having managed to improve on the time with which he qualified 10th on the grid in last weekend’s season finale at the same track.

Team-mate Alex Rins also enjoyed a strong day to finish eighth, while Yamaha collected additional data from the bikes of Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller, as Pramac joined its stable as a satellite team.

Team director Massimo Meregalli hailed the performance of Yamaha in the Barcelona test, particularly because the feedback from the riders was backed up by the improved speed of the bike on track.

“The three items that we mainly evaluated were chassis, aerodynamics and a slightly updated engine, all these three items gave us positive feedback,” Massimo Meregalli told MotoGP’s official website.

“But before really judging anything we prefer to wait until [the next test in] Sepang [in February] because you can’t really judge single items in one circuit, it’s better to at least double check.

Yamaha MotoGP Team bike detail

Yamaha MotoGP Team bike detail

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“All the steps we did in this direction brought us a good feeling but also results. This is very important because many times in the past we always listened to the feelings of the riders but now we want to match the feeling with the results.

“I can say that the test finished better than our expectations. For me it’s a good way to finish such a long and tough season.”

Quartararo was also in an upbeat mood after testing the updated M1 on Tuesday, as he could attest the steps the Iwata brand had made with a bike that could finish no higher than sixth in a grand prix all year.

“I think it was a good day. We tried out quite a few things, and without really doing a time attack we set a better time than in qualifying,” he told reporters in Barcelona.

“We set the fastest time with the new chassis and the new engine, so that was positive, and without really starting with 3kg of fuel — I think we started with 8-9kg.

“Of course I was at the limit, but we could have made up a few more hundredths or tenths to go a bit quicker.”

While the Barcelona test was already encouraging for Yamaha, Quartararo revealed that bigger upgrades will follow when the paddock reconvenes in Malaysia for the start of pre-season testing on 5-7 February.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha MotoGP Team

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha MotoGP Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“The new engine already gave us a bit more speed, with the same agility, the steering with the new chassis was also good,” he said. “We also tried a new fairing to maybe have a bit more top speed but it wasn’t any better, it was the same. We tried some pretty interesting things.

“I think we’re heading in the right direction and the biggest things that were supposed to happen will happen in Malaysia, that’s what was planned. So the direction is good and I hope it can help for the future.”

However, Quartararo explained that Yamaha still has not been able to overcome some of the long-standing weaknesses of the M1, even if the overall packer was stronger than what he raced with in 2024.

“I don’t think there were any real improvements on the corner exit, which is where I think we need to improve,” he said. “With the new chassis, we’ve improved the corner entry a little bit, but what we’re lacking is a bit on the exit.”

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He added: “Power and grip is the only thing I can ask for. In terms of grip we are really, really far.

“And [as for the] the power, Santa Claus already came earlier to give us a bit of extra [power] but I will ask even more because we know we miss it.”

Yamaha’s approach to the Barcelona test was in stark contrast to that of Honda, which did not have any new parts to run — leaving factory rider Joan Mir a frustrated 15th in the standings.



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Quartararo explains why he’s Yamaha’s traction control now

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2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo has said Yamaha’s latest step in performance is down to an electronics tweak that allows the riders to have more input on the throttle.

Last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix saw Quartararo and team-mate Alex Rins both qualify inside the top 10 for the first time in a difficult 2024 campaign. Quartararo finished sixth in the race on Sunday, concluding a series of flyaway races that was positive apart from the marque’s home race in Japan.

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Both Quartararo and Rins highlighted the progress made on the electronics side.

“I am much more the traction control now,” joked Quartararo after qualifying on Saturday. “We have made some big changes on the electronics.”  

Asked if it was like riding an old 500cc grand prix bike, the Frenchman said: “Not exactly, but basically it’s a little bit like that.

“I have to control [it] much more and it’s much more difficult for me to ride the bike but we have more performance and this is what we are looking for.

“It’s much more difficult to use the throttle and have the best performance but I think we have made a good step in only a few days.”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Asif Zubairi

Rins added similar sentiments following his best weekend of the season in terms of points, thanks to the eight he picked up for eighth place on Sunday.

“I have the bike a little bit more in my hand, which is so important for me. I got used to riding like this on the Suzuki – to control the spin a bit more, picking up the bike when it’s spinning…so it was quite nice.”

Yamaha, which benefits from concessions designed to help it rediscover the winning performance it has lost over the past two seasons, also brought a new engine to Malaysia.

Quartararo was unable to race with it after his broke in practice, and also had to race the spare bike in the grand prix after being caught in the first-corner incident. Rins, however, was able to use the new motor.

“Regarding the power and the top speed, it’s more or less the same,” said Rins. “But it works a little better for the electronics.”

“[On Saturday] morning we tested the strategy on the electronics that we tested with this engine in Misano. And the good feeling came back again.”

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Asif Zubairi

Quartararo summed up the Asia-Pacific leg of the season as a positive one in terms of progress.

“We can take positives from all the [flyaway] circuits. Japan was one of the weakest, but in Australia the pace was great, also in Mandalika. In Thailand we were fast in the wet and the dry.

“Here we were fast also. So we can be happy about this end to the season and hopefully we can now see the difference to where we were at Barcelona in the summer.”       

He added that he looked forward to the post-season test that has been rescheduled at Barcelona instead of Valencia, considering the room for improvement Yamaha has there.

“Barcelona is a great choice [for the test]. It’s been a really tough track for us in the last two years. The grip is super low and that’s been our weakest point. The test there will be quite nice for us.”



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Quartararo blames limitations of Yamaha package for Morbidelli clash

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Fabio Quartararo has bemoaned the limitations of his Yamaha MotoGP package for contributing to his clash with Franco Morbidelli that denied him a points-paying result in the Indonesian sprint race.

The Frenchman had been eyeing a fifth consecutive top-10 finish after consolidating his eye-catching Friday practice pace by securing a spot on the second row in qualifying with sixth place on the grid.

Quartararo got within striking distance of a rare top-five finish, before a leery attempt at overtaking Morbidelli on lap eight of 13 instead led to contact and a slide down the order.

Eventually coming home 12th, a defiant Quartararo deferred blame for the incident to a Yamaha M1 package that he says is forcing him to push the limit in his attempts to overtake rivals.

“It’s the only way for us to overtake and it was completely wrong,” he said.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I pushed to the maximum but we have basically less grip than them, less acceleration, more wheelies, more problems to stop the bike… we have no stronger points than them.

“We are riding in a defensive way during the race so we don’t get overtaken, but then we cannot overtake also.”

While Quartararo’s vocal — and often damning — appraisal of Yamaha’s performance limitations are certainly familiar, the 2021 MotoGP champion nevertheless admits the issue is particularly frustrating given the manufacturer’s recent upturn in form.

“In the fight, Yamaha has been quite bad for many years, especially now that I start to have the pace but I was not able to make even one overtake — this is a point we have to get stronger soon,” he added.

“It’s frustrating because it has always been the same issue: not possible to overtake.

“In 2022, it was really similar but, in 2022, the other brands were not that strong, so I could fight more at the front. But now, if we are behind, we cannot do anything.”



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“It’s a long time since I enjoyed the bike like today”

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Fabio Quartararo has said “it has been a long time since I enjoyed the bike like today” as he broke into Q2 directly for Yamaha for just the third time this MotoGP season.

A result of recent testing mileage at Misano or are Yamaha finally making gains? This was the question after the 2021 MotoGP world champion roamed the top 10 of a MotoGP practice session in which the top 14 riders were split by one second, and the Frenchman classified ninth fastest to make Q2 directly.

Quartararo and the factory Yamaha team have completed plenty of testing laps at the San Marino circuit as the factory fully exploits its concessions benefits to improve away from the 20-round calendar.

The 25-year-old has struggled to find grip this season even though Yamaha has changed the character of the M1 and the inline four engine, while it has delivered a new engine, new chassis and revitalised aero packages to get closer to their European rivals.

The factory has brought more staff, conscripted technicians from rival firms and increased the turnaround speed of its development parts for both Quartararo and Alex Rins.

Quartararo was 0.6s from leader Francesco Bagnaia after Friday afternoon practice to generate encouraging signs, considering that improvements to the bike are providing higher potential for race pace.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

In Aragon Quartararo had been dismissive of the ‘flying lap’ form at the Misano test and even though he and the team completed the job on Friday at the San Marino GP he was wary of Q2 on Saturday.

“In the test it was terrible and now it is better but it’s [still] not normal that with 11 laps on [used tyres] we are only three tenths better for the time attack [on new tyres],” he explained. “If you check the other brands then they are improving close to one second: this is something we are still missing.

“Today there was no margin [for improvement] and I was on the limit everywhere. At least I think it was great to qualify in Q2 and it has been a long time since I enjoyed the bike like today. We made good laps on the pace. Just one or two tenths can change the weekend.”

Much depends on where the #20 can qualify on Saturday for the 13-lap sprint and the 27-lap grand prix for what is already a very grippy asphalt at Misano.

Initial feelings at Misano were brighter for Quartararo, who hasn’t reached the podium since the 2023 Indonesian GP and hasn’t won since the German GP in early summer of 2022.

“We know Japanese engineers like to make small-by-small [changes] but even though it was small it was a step I could feel,” he explained.

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“I like it because we are doing the steps faster and it’s what we need. The first month with Max [Bartolini, Yamaha technical director] and the team it was the mentality and the way of work we changed, but no improvement [on track].

“We tested a lot of things but now we are starting to find a way with the engine, the chassis, so I expect, for me, to end the season in a better way. I don’t say to fight for much better positions…but at least I think to have the gap to the top five a bit closer than now.”



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Yamaha MotoGP fortunes getting «worse and worse»

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Fabio Quartararo feels things are getting “worse and worse” for Yamaha despite its best efforts to dig itself out of its current slump in MotoGP.

The 2021 champion struggled to 18th in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, finishing almost 44 seconds behind race winner Francesco Bagnaia on the factory Ducati. His final position was compromised by a long lap penalty, though he was already running outside the points in 16th place when he was sanctioned for repeatedly exceeding track limits.

His team-mate Alex Rins, returning to MotoGP after an injury-induced absence, could finish only 16th and some 37s down on Bagnaia, meaning Yamaha failed to score manufacturer points in a grand prix for the first time since the Dutch GP in 2022.

Quartararo was visibly frustrated after recording his joint-lowest result of the year and left the track early after the race to fly to Misano for a private test, missing most of his media commitments.

In a short interview with French TV broadcaster Canal+, he said: «Clearly one of the worst weekends of the season. We’re trying to improve but it’s getting worse and worse, unfortunately. We can’t seem to find a way to improve.

“I tried to push really hard in the first laps like the others do but unfortunately, we’re really getting overtaken. Then, [tyre] pressure problems and there you go, we see that the result is disastrous.»

Quartararo, Rins and the rest of the Yamaha team will be in Misano from Monday to Wednesday as part of a private test also attended by Honda and KTM.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Both Quartararo and Rins will be allowed to test the M1 themselves as part of the concessions they have received from MotoGP following Yamaha’s winless 2024 campaign.

The Iwata-based marque will be hoping that the two-day test will offer some answers about its lack of pace at Spielberg, where it was outperformed by not only its European rivals but also Honda.

“It was a race day to forget,” said Yamaha’s team director Massimo Meregalli. “It’s been a mirror image of the sprint race. We didn’t expect such a difficult weekend.

“Alex did a good job in the race, especially considering his condition. Fabio had a good start but was not able to defend his position, and the long-lap penalty ended his chances to fight for points.

“Other than that, there’s not much to say. We need to really understand what is causing this poor performance.

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“We have the Aragon GP coming up in two weeks’ time, but first we have a private Misano test next week. We are going to evaluate different components and, if the results are good, we are aiming to bring the parts straight to Aragon.”

Additional reporting by Guillaume Navarro



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Quartararo now wants experienced Pramac MotoGP line-up after advocating youngsters

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Fabio Quartararo believes it would be better for Yamaha to sign two experienced riders for its Pramac satellite team next year as the marque “doesn’t have time” to turn around its fortunes in MotoGP.

Quartararo’s comments mark a stark change in his approach after he had publicly backed Moto2 frontrunner Tony Arbolino last month for the second seat at Pramac.

The 2021 champion was also in favour of signing one-time grand prix winner Fabio di Giannantonio, a rider who is currently in only his third season in the premier class, before the Italian locked in a deal directly with Ducati to continue at VR46 in 2025.

“It’s difficult to say [about the line-up] but in the end we don’t have time [to fix the bike],” Quartararo said on the eve of this weekend’s Austrian GP.

“We have to improve fast and it’s true that with two experienced riders things can go faster.

“With a young rider, of course, it’s great for the future, like [Fermin] Aldeguer. He is going to a factory [Ducati] where the bike is already working and he is good to build for the future.

“Right now, it’s true that we need an experienced rider, and it also depends how long the contract is for the riders.

“Both options are really good. I don’t want to enter this [decision process] because at the end, to have a young rider or experienced rider, you can find positives in both ways.

“But it’s true that with the amount of time we have, having two experienced [riders] is not too bad also.”

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: KTM Images

Pramac had initially been looking for a youngster to partner Trackhouse ace Miguel Oliveira next year, but has since changed its heart and is closing on a deal with KTM outcast Jack Miller.

Both Oliveira and Miller are 29-years-old and have raced for multiple manufacturers in the past, bringing with them a ton of experience as Pramac prepares to end a two-decade partnership with Ducati and join forces with Yamaha.

Yamaha is also looking for a second rider to strengthen its test team, particularly at a time when Cal Crutchlow is unable to fulfill his duties due to a longer-than-expected injury recovery period.

One rider who has emerged as a serious contender in recent weeks is Augusto Fernandez, who doesn’t have a seat in MotoGP in 2025 after being dropped by the KTM group along with Miller.

Quartararo, who is able to have some indirect influence on Yamaha’s decision-making due to his status as the 2021 champion, admitted that he has put forward Fernandez’s name as a test rider.

“It’s already [been a] few months that I’m pushing to have a test rider that has been on the MotoGP bike really recently,” he said.

“Like Augusto is clearly one rider that I pushed since few months ago and I think he is young.

“If he is riding fast, for sure he will do some wildcards next year with Yamaha. For sure if he is riding fast he will have the ability to come back also in the championship [as a full-time rider].

“I think this is really important to find a rider who wants to come back and give some proper information.”

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Yamaha testing «way too many things» on MotoGP weekends

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Fabio Quartararo has expressed his frustration over Yamaha testing «way too many things» on its bike during MotoGP race weekends in 2024.

The Japanese manufacturer is undertaking an extensive development programme to drag itself out of its current slump, experimenting with a wide range of new parts for the M1.

Having been given a number of advantages under MotoGP’s new concession system, Yamaha is also trialling new bits and pieces during grands prix after running them first in private testing.

However, 2021 champion Quartararo believes this approach is turning out to be counterproductive, as he is constantly having to test different specifications of the bike without getting enough time to properly evaluate them.

«Just before the sprint we were trying way too many things, [going from] one bike to another and I was going to qualifying without any reference,» he said.

«With one bike I had to ride in one way, with the other one in another way. So I was completely lost.

«We are already struggling much more than usual, but I was really lost. I said I want to have a base that I know more or less and in the sprint it was much better. Still not very good but at least we finished not super far from Jack [Miller].»

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

For Quartararo, the problem is not the excessive number of new developments that he has to test, but how fundamentally different one bike is from another, complicating his job at a time when he is also supposed to be working on pure performance.

As an example, the Frenchman revealed that he had to constantly switch between one M1 that was heavy but had better stopping performance and another bike that was lighter but didn’t stop as well during the British Grand Prix.

«It’s not too many new items, it’s too many different bikes in every single run,» he explained. «I do four laps, change of bike, [another] four laps, change of bike.

«[We do] time attack, but with which bike? So it’s complicated.

«Two years ago we had the same bike [all year]. Even last year at the end of the season we knew the bike was not the same, but we kept our base and it’s me putting the bike to the extreme limit.

«Right now, we can’t really do it because I have no idea where the limit of the bike is.»

Quartararo explained Yamaha’s rationale behind its rapid development rate, saying new parts usually offer either improved performance or help fix issues on the existing bike.

However, that hasn’t always been the case for Yamaha this year, and his work on race weekends makes him feel more like a test rider in 2024.

«It’s too much but you know sometimes you expect things to be better and not to be worse,» he said. «Or say sometimes we have new items and we expect them to be much better.

«Sometimes the one that you expect the most [from] is the one that doesn’t really bring some positives.

«Right now, I think I was more like a test rider than [a race] rider during the last races.

«At the moment I prefer to also focus a little bit more on trying to be as fast as possible because it has been a long time that I’m not using the same bike for two days in a row.»

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Arbolino is ready for MotoGP with Pramac

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Fabio Quartararo has publicly backed Moto2 race winner Tony Arbolino for a move up to MotoGP next year, believing he will be a good fit for Yamaha’s new satellite team Pramac.

With it all but confirmed that Trackhouse rider Miguel Oliveira will lead Pramac next year, the attention has turned to the second seat at the Italian squad — one of the last remaining places on the 2025 grid.

It is understood that Pramac wants to pair Oliveira with an up-and-coming rider from the junior ranks, with MT Helmets — MSI’s Sergio Garcia initially emerging as the prime candidate for the ride.

However, Marc VDS rider Arbolino has also come into play in recent weeks, despite the Italian going through a rough fourth season in Moto2.

After finishing runner-up to current Tech3 MotoGP rider Pedro Acosta in the 2023 title fight and scoring three wins, Arbolino has managed no higher than sixth this year and he currently sits outside the top 10 in the championship.

But the 23-year-old enjoys a good relationship with factory Yamaha rider Quartararo ever since he moved to Andorra, with the Frenchman endorsing him for the second seat at Pramac.

Although Quartararo doesn’t have a direct say in the decision, he does exert some influence in the same way as Pramac’s title sponsor Prima.

Tony Arbolino, Marc VDS Racing Team

Tony Arbolino, Marc VDS Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Asked for his opinion on Arbolino, who also finished second in the Moto3 standings in 2020 prior to his step up to the intermediate class, Quartararo said: «For me, he is ready — I’m not pushing because he is my friend.

«This year has not been easy for him. I don’t know if the [new Pirelli] tyres or how they manage the work with him, but he has been one of the riders that have made more than 10 podiums in a row. For me he is ready and he just didn’t show the results this year.

«But in my case it was exactly the same. I never won more than two races, I never made more than three podiums in Moto2 and straight away MotoGP I was ready.

«So for me he is ready. Now he is living really close to me and I know [how] hard he is working and I know he can be ready to step up for MotoGP.»

Quartararo, who was hailed as the next star in his early career, did struggle in his two seasons in Moto2, scoring just one victory in Barcelona in 2018. However, he went on to finish fifth in his first season in the premier class with Petronas SRT.

Having top-quality riders at Pramac is important for the 2021 champion, as Yamaha adds Pramac to its stable and expands its MotoGP programme to four equal bikes.

The Japanese manufacturer concluded a deal with Alex Rins on the eve of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, ensuring it heads to 2025 with the same line-up.

Asked about the importance of continuity at a time Yamaha is trying to rebuild itself, the 25-year-old said: «I think it’s great. Alex has done a good job this year.

«The feedback that he has been doing is the same as me, even if the riding style is totally different.

«Also next year with two more bikes, also the testing, it will be nice. We are working in a really good way.»

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Quartararo outlines his preference for Pramac’s 2025 MotoGP line-up

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Fabio Quartararo wants Pramac to prioritise signing one-time MotoGP race winner Fabio Di Giannantonio for 2025 when it becomes a Yamaha satellite team.

During last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Yamaha announced it had signed a long-term deal with Pramac for it to become its factory-backed satellite partner from 2025.

Since that announcement, the list of riders linked to the two Pramac Yamahas has grown.

But on Thursday ahead of the German Grand Prix, 2021 world champion Quartararo made it clear who he thinks Pramac should be aiming for.

“This guy on my right [Di Giannantonio],” he said in the pre-event press conference at the Sachsenring.

“I think Fabio can be the one that can make a really good job for Yamaha.

“I’m pushing him on the way to Yamaha because, of course, the last 10 months he has been doing a really great job. We need a rider like him to really improve on our project.

“A rookie can be also a good idea. I think [Sergio] Garcia, [Alonso] Lopez are names that are really fast in Moto2 and they can earn their place into a team like Pramac that in the end it will not a be a satellite team – it’s an extension of the factory.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Di Giannantonio only had his 2024 ride confirmed after last season finished, with VR46 Ducati offering the 2023 Qatar GP winner a lifeline following Gresini’s decision to replace him with Marc Marquez.

On the 2023-spec Ducati at VR46, Di Giannantonio has scored double the points of his three-time GP-winning team-mate Marco Bezzecchi and is second-best GP23 rider in the standings behind Marquez.

The Italian confirmed he is in talks with Yamaha and VR46, which is set to get one factory Ducati in 2025 – and will “define” his “plan A” this weekend.

“I’m grateful of this situation and also to Fabio honestly, because to have these words from a colleague – a rival but also a friend – is always so good,” he said.

“It’s not a secret that we are talking with Yamaha, but also my team, and the plan C that I cannot say. I was talking with Fabio last week about how the project is.

“As I said, I’m in a good situation where I can decide my future and this weekend I will define, more or less, the way for my plan A.”

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