– The tensions between Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha seem to have eased ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix. However, there is little sign of genuine harmony. After the Frenchman’s statements during the Aragon weekend, the rider and team held a clarifying discussion.
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Quartararo now emphasizes that the matter has been resolved. At the same time, he makes it clear that his fundamental dissatisfaction with the Yamaha M1 remains unchanged.
“I don’t think it’s about whether I regret something or not,” Quartararo said on Thursday in Misano when asked about his public statements. “With frustration, we said things that maybe weren’t right,” he admits.
“We had a meeting together last week, everything was clarified, and now everything is pretty normal again.” With this, the 2021 world champion tries to draw a line under the public dispute. However, he did not want to reveal the concrete consequences of the conversation.
When asked about the content of the meeting, Quartararo sticks to his line: it is an internal matter. What exactly was discussed there remains unclear.
Frustration with Yamaha has not disappeared
The trigger for the escalation was the difficult Aragon weekend. Quartararo was upset that, from his point of view, he was pushed too much into the role of a test rider. He had to compare new components several times, including a new chassis and a linkage lever. His judgment was repeatedly negative.
In the race, Quartararo ultimately finished only 18th, more than 51 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez. The situation became particularly clear after the sprint when a Yamaha engine failure further worsened things.
Afterwards, he stated that he no longer wanted to help with development for the upcoming season. This drew criticism from his own ranks. In Misano, Quartararo sounds much more conciliatory without giving up his fundamental stance.
He admits that his emotions sometimes get the better of him. “You never get used to difficult moments,” explains the Yamaha rider. Frustration is always present when you don’t achieve what you set out to do. Even when you know that the current package is not at the desired level.
For Quartararo, ambition is both a curse and a drive. “I am competitive, I want to fight,” says the 2021 world champion. “If I really didn’t care, I wouldn’t enjoy it anymore and wouldn’t want to race anymore.”
From this occasionally arises his excessive reaction: “That’s why sometimes I might take it too seriously,” admits the Frenchman. “My frustration is then too great. But I just have to find the right words at the right moment.”
“Maybe I have to let it out differently”
When asked if it helps him to express his frustration publicly, Quartararo answers with a clear yes but adds: “Maybe I have to let it out in a different way. Maybe I have to get it out when I’m alone in the motorhome and talk to you in a somewhat friendlier way.”
This probably describes quite precisely what Yamaha would wish for the remaining races of their time together. Because the separation is already decided: Quartararo will leave Yamaha after the 2026 season and switch to the Honda factory team in 2027. Alex Rins is also leaving at the end of the year.
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The starting position makes the conflict even more complicated. Quartararo is in his last year with Yamaha, while the manufacturer is simultaneously advancing its V4 era.
The Frenchman is supposed to continue delivering race results but apparently sees limited sense in investing his remaining time in a project whose fruits he will no longer reap himself. Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura will take over in 2027.
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No change in Spielberg test
According to Quartararo, there is also no new development regarding another point of contention. When asked if anything had changed regarding the tire test after the race at the Red Bull Ring, he replied briefly: “No, no changes.”
The test was part of the recent tensions between Quartararo and Yamaha. For the Frenchman, it would have been an opportunity to get an impression of the new Pirelli tires that will be used from 2027. But Yamaha is instead relying on Toprak Razgatlioglu and Izan Guevara.
The fact that he is denied participation but is constantly presented with new components during the weekends was the last straw for Quartararo.
Psychologist? The situation is different this time
When asked if the recent frustration had also left mental traces, the Frenchman revealed that he had already worked with a sports psychologist in the past, but not primarily because of problems with the motorcycle.
Back then, in his Moto2 days, it was more about himself and less about the technical situation. Now, according to his own assessment, his problem lies elsewhere.
“My feeling is good, I just don’t feel good with the motorcycle at the moment,” he says. Therefore, he currently sees no reason to seek psychological help again. He knows from experience when the time has come: “You feel it when you have to go.”
Currently, he does not feel that. The cause of his frustration is clearly identified for Quartararo: not his mental state, but the performance of the motorcycle. Thus, the explanation for his situation is not entirely in his hands.
Misano should at least be fun again
Sportingly, Misano offers better conditions than Aragon at least. Quartararo points to lower temperatures as well as comparatively good grip and moderate tire wear. This could suit the Yamaha.
“The tire degradation is not so bad, so we will try to get the maximum out of our package and achieve the best possible result,” says the Yamaha rider. However, it will not be a walk in the park. Even at the Misano World Circuit, engine power remains a decisive factor.
Quartararo therefore contradicts the thesis that power is less important on the Italian track. “No, it is still very important,” he clarifies. “The main straight is not that long, but then we have the back straight and the middle straight. There we actually get up to sixth gear.”
At the same time, Quartararo knows that Yamaha cannot work magic in the short term: “There is no magic that gives us more power. We will work with what we have.”
Misano holds a very special memory
The fact that the San Marino Grand Prix has a particularly emotional significance for Quartararo does not make the situation easier for him. Misano reminds him of probably the most important moment of his career: winning the world championship in 2021.
“Of course, it always means something to me because it was the most important moment of my career,” he says. At the same time, he likes the track very much and enjoys racing here. Therefore, a simple formula applies for Quartararo this weekend as well: “We will try to do our best with what we have.”
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