MotoGP | Quartararo: “Yamaha needs a rider like Diggia to improve”

The weekend at Sachsenring will bring a mix of sweet and bitter sensations to Fabio Quartararo. The German track was in fact the one where he took his last success in MotoGP, on a Sunday that seemed to have launched him towards his second consecutive world title, given that he left Germany with a 91-point advantage over Pecco Bagnaia.

But that was the last peak for the Iwata manufacturer, because since then it has entered that tunnel from which it is still looking for the exit. The first steps have been taken, with the arrival of Max Bartolini from Ducati as technical manager, but another fundamental was consolidated last week: the signature of Prima Pramac Racing, which will become a second structure that will use the official material, allowing to speed up the development of the M1.

And the French rider stressed that this was one of his first requests during the renewal phase: “When I discussed my renewal, one of the things we talked about was the possibility of having a factory supported team, which could help us in many aspects, especially in the development of the bike, because the thing we need most is to improve the bike,” Quartararo said during the press conference that opened the German Grand Prix weekend.

As for the riders who could join Paolo Campinoti’s team, the 2021 world champion seems to have quite clear ideas. Among the names that have been linked to the new Yamaha structure, his favorite would undoubtedly be Fabio Di Giannantonio.

“This guy here on my right,” he said, pointing to “Diggia” when asked about it. “I think Fabio can be the person who can do a great job for Yamaha. I’m pushing him towards Yamaha because I think he’s obviously done a great job in the last 10 months. I think we need a rider like him to improve our project.”

For the Roman rider, however, it will not be an easy choice to take lightly, because at the moment he seems to be the main candidate for the Desmosedici GP25 that Ducati should entrust to VR46. Therefore, on the one hand there would be the certainty of having an official bike, on the other hand the possibility of having a contract as an official rider, albeit in a factory supported structure.

“They are two different projects. Now Ducati is winning and has eight bikes. Next year there will be two less, who will come to us, but there will also be new people coming to Yamaha. The new project will start in January-February, so you can’t think you can fight at the top in four months. Last year we found ourselves in a difficult situation and we have already changed a lot. It takes time and we know it. But in his place, I think it is always better to have a couple of options instead of zero. The choice will not be easy, but I think every rider knows what he wants and it is important to have more options.”

“El Diablo” does not seem to have any major doubts about how he would fill the other side of the Pramac box: “I think that even a rookie could be a good idea. I think that Sergio Garcia and Alonso Lopez have shown that they are very fast in Moto2 and that they can earn a place in a team like Pramac, which in the end will not be a satellite team, but an extension of the official one”.

Finally, looking ahead to the weekend ahead, he doesn’t seem to be too optimistic: “We have the new engine, but this layout is not the best for us, considering the problems we are having. However, as always, we will try to seize all the opportunities and bring home the best possible results”.