“El Diablo” remains – a surprise that is not a surprise / MotoGP

The cat is out of the blue bag. Fabio Quartararo has decided to continue racing for the Monster Yamaha factory team. At first glance, a difficult decision, if not understandable. Because really nothing has been going downhill since the end of 2022.

The 2021 world champions fell to tenth in the World Cup table last season, and the Frenchman is currently stuck in first-class midfield. 15 World Championship points after the first two race weekends mean 11th place in the table. Even Fabio Quartararo, with all the patience of a 23-year-old professional athlete, knows that Yamaha needs time to return to the winning mark, but the MotoGP contract is always a question of alternatives.

The incredible talent of the former champion is undeniable, but anyone not on the podium also has the worst hand in contract poker. But apart from the sadness of sports, there was no reason for divorce for Fabio Quartararo. With the full status of a career driver, which is not even offered in MotoGP, and an estimated annual income of around 4.5 million euros, “El Diablo” is one of the lucky ones in the race.

It is certainly not a strange rumor to claim that Fabio Quartararo would not have improved in terms of salary and status if he had moved to another team (Aprilia? Private Ducati?). Words of love from his current employer, which is not just financial, is another important factor. Both have a lot to be thankful for each other. Yamaha was brave and gave the young Moto2 rider, who had only one victory there, a ticket to MotoGP in 2019 – Quartararo gave Yamaha the title two years later after moving to the official factory team. It’s also a fact that Yamaha sees Fabio Quartararo as the best M1 driver for years to come and is willing to pay accordingly.

A very good human understanding between the management and the driver along with the correct numbers on the contract and less convincing alternatives make the contract extension an easy process to understand.

Or as world champion Pecco Bagnaia put it best when he extended his contract until the end of 2026: We broke up.
This also applies to the Japanese factory and the French pilot. The only difference is that Quartararo doesn’t have a winning bike under his belt. For now.