The factors behind Quartararo’s Yamaha MotoGP renewal

Before deciding to extend his contract with Yamaha – a deal announced on Friday – Fabio Quartararo had to choose between following two paths: to be competitive again as soon as possible, or to consider a more long-term and lucrative route. Yamaha’s lack of progress makes it very difficult for the Frenchman to return to winning ways before the expiration of his new deal, which makes him the highest-earning rider on the MotoGP grid.

Since celebrating the title in 2021, the performance curve of the Yamaha ridden by Quartararo has been on a precipitous downward spiral that can only be compared to the other Japanese manufacturer in the championship. In fact, Honda had no choice but to let Marc Marquez go at the end of last season, as the Spaniard was exhausted and decided to forgo the final year of his contract and the €20 million he was entitled to.

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Marquez opted to embark on an intrepid journey into the unknown and joined a satellite team in Gresini Racing, with a Ducati that is not the latest version available. The Spaniard chose that route in order to, as he said then and still says now, “enjoy being competitive again”. 

It has been a long time since Quartararo has had fun on the M1 with its many limitations, especially a lack of traction, and no sign of the main historic strength of the bike in its handling.

Quartararo completed his last renewal in June 2022 as the reigning MotoGP champion during a season in which he fought to retain the title until the last round of the season. At that time, his bike was competitive, earning three victories and a total of podiums – a stark contrast to the current form of the M1. In 2023, it only achieved the grand prix podiums on three occasions, with the third positions Quartararo himself claimed in Austin, India and Indonesia, added to his third place in the Assen sprint race.

Quartararo has committed to a new contract – signed two weeks ago – in the knowledge that his bike is not competitive and is unlikely to be during the course of his new deal that spans 2025-26. In the Qatar season-opener, the #20 rider was 1.2 seconds off Jorge Martin’s pole time. He finished 12th in the sprint race, more than 12 seconds behind winner Martin, while on Sunday he was almost 18 seconds behind Francesco Bagnaia on another Ducati GP24 in 11th.