Yamaha is still going tough for Fabio Quartararo, who is looking around at other MotoGP manufacturers with a view to the future – a decision should be made soon
2021 and 2022 saw Fabio Quartararo win the MotoGP race in Portimao. But after a winless season in 2023, it doesn’t look like Yamaha will be able to fight at the front again in this still young racing year
After finishing eleventh at the Qatar Grand Prix, the season opener two weeks ago, Quartararo even said they were “further away than ever” from the competition.
No wonder, then, that speculation is already rife about the Frenchman’s future. After all, his contract – as with many other riders – expires at the end of this season. Most recently, there were rumors that Quartararo was on the verge of a move to Aprilia.
Asked about his future plans on Thursday in Portimao, the 2021 World Champion said: “I’m not thinking about the contracts. Of course, as you know, we have already had some talks with some brands. But that’s not a distraction for me. It’s not something I think about when I’m driving. “
Quartararo is not worried
Quartararo is aware of his value, even if the results currently leave something to be desired: “I’m in a position where I don’t think I’m bad.”
“Bad for me was when I was riding in Moto2 and didn’t really know where I was going to fit in next year. Then you start to worry. But in the position I’m in now, I don’t have to worry,” he emphasizes.
He also has “the right people” at his side to take care of all the paperwork. He can therefore “take it easy” and concentrate on the essentials, namely sitting on the bike. “That’s what I enjoy and that’s my real job,” explains the Yamaha rider.
As far as the timeframe for a decision on his future is concerned, Quartararo reveals: “It will be soon. I can’t give an exact date, but I won’t spend months deciding. It will happen quite quickly. “
“I think I know a bit about what’s on the market. I already know what projects are out there, but I still need to take a bit of time to decide. “
Yamaha to test in Portimao on Monday
Before that happens, he and team-mate Alex Rins will be testing with Yamaha on Monday after the race weekend in Portimao. Thanks to the current concession system, the Japanese manufacturer is also allowed to take its factory riders and factory bikes onto the track outside of the official MotoGP test days.
“We will test here on Monday,” confirmed Quartararo. “I think we will bring new parts step by step and have more data to analyze.” However, he could not yet say what exactly will be tested. “We will talk about that on Sunday.”
Rins expressed a similar view: “I don’t know yet which parts we will test. But yes, I think it could be interesting. Because during a weekend you don’t get to try much. But we will take all the information from the weekend and build on it on Monday.”
“I’m not panicking now, because it is what it is. I assume that we will be testing things that we probably won’t bring to the next Grand Prix in Austin. But it still gives me confidence. I can do more laps on the bike and work better with the team. “
After just one race weekend with Yamaha so far, he is “still in the phase of understanding everything,” says the Spaniard. “In Qatar we struggled with the front.”
“We completely destroyed the front tire, and that was due to the set-up of the bike. It is still very much geared towards Fabio. And even though our riding styles are quite similar, I still have to make it more my bike and adapt it,” said Rins.
