Strong criticism: Is Fabio Quartararo damaging his Yamaha legacy?

– After finishing 18th and more than half a minute behind, Fabio Quartararo didn’t mince words after the Italian Grand Prix. The MotoGP world champion said in Mugello that Yamaha was lost and there was no hope.

Has his view of things cooled down a bit after a few days’ break? “I can’t just brush it off, because it’s basically been a month now that I haven’t really been happy,” he says at the start of the race weekend in Hungary.

“I’m very sensitive to the feeling at the front wheel, and I’ve never had such a bad feeling as now. It’s hard to imagine it getting even worse than in Mugello, but I couldn’t really ride there.”

Even before Mugello, Quartararo expressed more positivity. During the Monday test after the Jerez race, a basic setup was found that allowed him to at least have a consistent feeling and ride.

Especially in Le Mans and Barcelona, he highlighted this as a positive step. In Mugello, this feeling had disappeared again. Therefore, Quartararo concludes that Yamaha is not making progress.

“I’m not happy with how we’ve improved our bike. It’s basically the same bike as in September 2025. I expected a big step forward from the first prototype until now.”

“But we’re still in the same place. That’s what I meant. But my job is to push, to give my best, and that’s exactly what I’ll do when I feel comfortable on the bike.”

Quartararo sees no reaction from Yamaha

The 27-year-old doesn’t name a single aspect that doesn’t work well with Yamaha’s new V4 motorcycle, but many: “If I have to choose one, it’s obviously the grip.”

“We saw that at the test in Barcelona: as soon as the grip is there, I’m immediately fast. But it depends on many factors, on the track, on the conditions.”

“So I would say it’s the grip, and then of course the turning, the top speed, the acceleration, the aerodynamics. We are still very, very, very far behind there. So there are many things.”

Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez completed wildcard appearances with the test team at the two Spanish races in Jerez and Barcelona. Before Mugello, the test team took part in a private test in Misano. Andrea Dovizioso was also there.

So is Yamaha reacting to the problems and criticism? “No, I don’t see any reaction,” Quartararo answers this question. “I think we are at a stage in the championship where we won’t see any major reactions anymore.”

“Because we are already a bit late with the V4 project anyway. They also have to prepare for next year, of course. That’s why I don’t think we’ll see any reaction for this year.”

Loud Criticism: Is Quartararo Damaging His Yamaha Legacy?

Quartararo is hinting between the lines that he does not expect Yamaha to bring a further developed variant of the new V4 engine with 1,000 cubic centimeters of displacement to the racetrack.

Photo Gallery: The Career Highlights of Fabio Quartararo

The focus is apparently already entirely on the new 850cc motorcycle for 2027. Quartararo will then no longer be part of this project. After eight years with Yamaha (six of them in the factory team), he is moving to Honda.

With a world championship title and eleven MotoGP victories, Quartararo has immortalized himself in Yamaha’s MotoGP history. But could his frequent public criticism damage this legacy?

“Well, basically it was already a bit like that last year, so I don’t think it will destroy our history. I will always be grateful to Yamaha for what we have achieved together.”

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