Yamaha rookie Fabio Quartararo has noticed significant changes to the character of the M1 and hopes that it will soon be easier to ride again
Qualifying used to be Fabio Quartararo’s big domain. In his rookie season in the MotoGP class alone – 2019 with the then Petronas Yamaha team – the Frenchman took pole six times. He followed this up with nine more poles in the Yamaha factory team over the next two years before being crowned MotoGP World Champion in Misano in October 2021
Since winning the title, however, Quartararo has only managed one more pole. That was on the 2022 Indonesian weekend in Mandalika. This Grand Prix took place in March, which is why Quartararo’s last MotoGP pole was more than two years ago. His last victory to date (Sachsenring in June 2022) was also two years ago. What has changed so drastically since then?
“In the period from 2019 to 2022, the more I pushed, the faster I was. This year, it seems that the more I push, the slower I get,” says Quartararo, describing how he is struggling with the current Yamaha M1. He adds: “But I am someone who has an aggressive riding style.”
This aggressive riding style with “hard grip on the brakes and trying to force the bike into the corner doesn’t seem to work with the current bike,” says the 2021 MotoGP World Champion. His conclusion: “We have to be clever. And I have to try to follow others more often [in qualifying].”
Quartararo extended his Yamaha contract almost three months ago by two more years until the end of 2026. He will therefore continue to ride the M1 for quite some time. He has no problem with the obvious need to adapt his riding style.
“To be honest, our riding styles change significantly from year to year. At the same time, however, it seems to me that the Yamaha becomes a completely different bike from year to year,” says Quartararo.
The Yamaha veteran adds: “Even if the changes [to the bike] are not always reflected in better results, something is always changed.” This is also urgently needed, because according to Quartararo, the M1 in its current specification is “really exhausting to ride. We have to make it easier to change direction again”.
Apart from Honda, Yamaha is the only manufacturer in the current MotoGP field to enjoy the advantage of extensive concessions this season. However, the many private test rides are not only having a positive effect, as Quartararo recently noted.
