Quartararo made history in 2021 when he became the first French rider to win the MotoGP title, while ending a six-year drought for Yamaha in the process.
Winning five races across the campaign, Quartararo wrapped up the championship with two rounds to spare.
His title defence begins this weekend in Malaysia with the first two-day pre-season test of the year, but he says he doesn’t come into the year approaching it as if he is the title defender.
“I’m challenging exactly the same as last year, like if I was not champion,” Quartararo said following Yamaha’s 2022 launch presentation.
“My goal at the moment is like I start last year, not to say I want to be world champion.
“Of course, it’s the long-term goal, but the short-term goal is to win races and make podiums, because without this you can’t be world champion.
“So, basically it’s the first step to be world champion; to fight for victories and podiums.”
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
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