Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha): Jerez with special status / MotoGP

The Spanish Grand Prix at the traditional track of Jerez de la Frontera this weekend brings Yamaha ace Fabio Quartararo back to a very special place in his MotoGP career. On July 19, 2020, the Frenchman, who celebrated his 25th birthday last Saturday, rode to his first MotoGP victory at the “Circuito Angel Nieto”.

At the time, Fabio was still sitting on the Petronas M1 team customer in the form of Razlan Razali.
The special thing: Because of the corona epidemic, we drove again in Jerez a week later – it was the Andalusian Grand Prix – and Fabio was in his class there too. Two MotoGP victories in eight days, a new star was born. Later in the year, “El Diablo” won again on Spanish soil – namely in Barcelona. It was the last success for the winning rider Quartararo, who had already completed his first MotoGP season in 2019 in fifth place in the World Championship and was on the podium seven times.

The wind in the MotoGP World Championship has now completely changed: Yamaha follows behind with the M1 as Honda. Yamaha racing director Lin Jarvis is fed up with his job. The successful Englishman will leave at the end of the year. Contrary to the expectations of many, Quartararo has extended his contract by two years until the end of 2026. The former wonder boy from Nice is reported to collect twelve million euros per year for this. “I saw Yamaha’s plans in Portimao,” said Fabio Quartararo, confirming his decision.

Red Bull KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa (38), who will be a wild card challenger in Jerez, recently said harshly about the Frenchman’s condition: “Fabio can’t complain anymore. He decided to stay with Yamaha himself. And Dani knows with all his experience: “It will be difficult to bring the bike back to the level of the others. But he chose this path.”

Quartararo is eleventh in the World Championship standings and has taken 11th, 7th and 12th in three GP races so far Although Yamaha has improved, qualifying sessions in particular remain difficult. Even in the sprints, the former champion has collected just one point for ninth place in Portimao. In Austin, the 2021 world champion was unplaced in the short distance in 15th place – Quartararo was six seconds short of the final points position. At Jerez in 2023 he was tenth – only twelfth in the race.