MotoGP | Quartararo: “We're not title contenders, Yamaha needs time”

Fabio Quartararo approaches the 2024 season with a new spirit. In recent years he hoped to be able to fight for the World Championship, an objective achieved in 2021 and narrowly missed in 2022, but since then he has had to deal with the growing difficulties of Yamaha, which has not been able to compete for victory in the last season.

The Japanese manufacturer has finally decided to review its approach by resorting to external consultancy, which led to the hiring of Max Bartolini, the new technical director who arrived from Ducati, and to clearer changes to the bike, as Quartararo had been asking for several years.

While he sees a positive evolution, the Frenchman knows that it will take time for it to materialize in terms of performance on the track, something he is now ready to accept. In the Losail press conference, Quartararo expressed the hope of finishing in the top five rather than winning and seeing Yamaha progress from race to race. He doesn't yet want to think about the bike he will ride in 2025, although he says “we will have to listen to everyone” when it comes time to discuss his future.

Do you start the season with more optimism than 2023? What is Yamaha's current situation?
“I think above all that we have made progress in the way we work. There is a completely different mentality in the team. I think we have made progress, but everyone has made progress, and that is why we are in difficulty at the moment. We need a lot more time. I think the new engineers are doing a great job and at the moment we are still far away. I don't think we are yet capable of fighting for the positions we want. We will do our best, from start to finish.”

What will the concessions bring to Yamaha?
“It's very important to be able to change many things on the bike. I think the engine is quite good, but it will be good to be able to do more tests during the season, because the ideas of the new engineers are good and they need some time. It's really It's complicated to test these things in a weekend, especially the electronics. It's nice to be able to do these tests without going through Cal (Crutchlow, Yamaha test rider). He does a great job, but I think it's better to test what you know yourself he needs. That's why the concessions are good, also because we only have two bikes.”

What are the aspects that Yamaha needs to improve?
“There are many areas where we need to improve. Last year, the race pace was much better than the lap times. We know how important it is to be in Q2 by Friday afternoon. There are things like the electronics, the way we go into corners, the way we use the rear tire going into corners, that gets worse every year. We're focusing too much on certain areas, we need to go back to the things we had in 2019 and 2021, the much smoother ride we had. I think we still need a lot of time to fully understand what we need.”

What worries you most about the 2024 season?
“I think it's the way we work. It's totally new, people have arrived in the team, the mentality has totally changed and I think the team needs more time, more races, to adapt. I'm not worried about anything, we just have to make more progress than expected every time we go out on track.”

What changes when you know you're not fighting for the title?
It's not easy. Already last year it was difficult to accept the position I found myself in. In the first seven or eight races I didn't feel well. I wasn't doing well at home. When you fight for the World Championship for three years in a row and find yourself in this situation, it's never easy. But, realistically, we need to know where we are: we are not able to think about the championship. I'm working hard, and I think Yamaha is working hard too. The project is much clearer than last year, so we are making progress. It will take time, but I think we will be much, much faster.”

Will Yamaha's improvements in terms of top speed be more useful in qualifying or in the race?
“It may not make a difference on a single lap, but to fight in the race it is much easier – or less difficult – to prepare for an overtake or to be closer to the driver in front. I think we will be able to drive more similar to the other manufacturers The aerodynamics we have are a little lighter than the others, but the growth of the engine shows that Yamaha is making good progress and working hard, because the biggest change over the winter was the top speed and we are quite satisfied with this.”

Fabio Quartararo

Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Have you set a deadline with Yamaha to talk about 2025?
“There is no deadline. There have been no real discussions with Yamaha. I think I will need some time to see the project, the mentality of the team and how things are going with the new engineers. For the moment, I can say that they have made progress, as I said in previous answers. But I think we will have to listen to everyone.”

When will Yamaha be able to aim for victory again?
“I hope as soon as possible, but I think the team's plan is also to do some tests after a few races, to improve the electronics and the feeling. But it's difficult to predict when the bike will be ready. Last year we weren't able to to do better than third place in the race. I hope that this year we will be able to fight for the victory when we feel we can. I think we have to take one step at a time and not think about the victory yet, but about finishing in the top 5 , and then progress little by little.”