Fabio Quartararo has put an end to speculation about his future by signing a two-year contract extension with Yamaha’s MotoGP team. The Frenchman, who won the World Championship in 2021 and finished second in 2022, has faced a difficult period with the Japanese manufacturer as their M1 bike has fallen behind its European rivals in terms of development. In the 2023 season, Quartararo failed to win any races and finished in a disappointing 10th place in the Riders’ standings. This year hasn’t started much better for him, with his best result so far being a seventh-place finish in the Portuguese Grand Prix. He currently sits 45 points behind the current championship leader, Jorge Martin. Despite this, Quartararo has chosen to remain loyal to Yamaha and believes that they can turn their fortunes around. He expressed his happiness at continuing his journey with the team and is confident that they will be able to fight for victory once again.
The Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, Lin Jarvis, expressed his satisfaction with the decision for Fabio to continue as a Yamaha rider. Retaining Fabio as a member of the Factory Team is crucial to Yamaha’s MotoGP Project. Fabio’s exceptional talent, strong work ethic, and team-oriented approach make him an invaluable asset. Furthermore, Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha Motor Racing, and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are fully committed to ensuring a promising future with Fabio by adopting a more assertive approach to bike development. They have already implemented significant organizational changes, recruited top industry experts, established new technical partnerships, increased the development budget, and intensified the testing program. All these measures are aimed at expediting the process of returning to a winning position. Fabio has recognized and embraced this commitment, which has bolstered his confidence in choosing to stay with Yamaha for the upcoming years. Since joining Yamaha in 2019 and the Factory Team in 2021, Fabio has achieved remarkable success, including 8 wins, 21 podium finishes, a MotoGP World Title, and a Vice Champion Title. While acknowledging the need for improvement to regain the competitive level of 2021 and the first half of 2022, Yamaha is confident in Fabio’s unwavering dedication and ability to foster a harmonious and positive atmosphere among the team members. They assure him of their unwavering support as they strive to win more championships together.