Fabio Quartararo’s facial expression tells a clear story about Yamaha at MotoGP Sepang Test

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Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha have been one of the surprise packages of MotoGP’s Sepang Test after showcasing some excellent pace.

Quartararo finished top of the timesheets on day one and followed it up by ending the second day’s running second fastest as well.

The Frenchman suffered at the hands of a poor Yamaha bike in 2024 and could only manage a 13th-place finish in the riders’ championship.

With two years of the current MotoGP regulations to go, there’s plenty of racing before the grid experiences another shake-up.

After one day of running, Yamaha’s MotoGP rivals already felt ‘really strongly’ about their improvements to their bike over the winter.

Meanwhile, their new partnership with Pramac has already impressed with Gino Borsoi saying he loves that Yamaha have invested heavily for the first time ever ahead of the 2025 season.

Fabio Quartararo had a ‘positive look’ on his face after Yamaha running in Sepang

With the field typically spread by such a short margin, the Japanese manufacturer faces a steep task of finding incremental gains to get themselves into contention for podiums again.

Yamaha are doing something ‘pretty crazy’ behind the scenes as they develop two bikes at once, including their new V4 machine in an attempt to set themselves up for the future.

They’re open to learning as much as they can, after four years without competing at the sharp end of the grid.

READ MORE: Yamaha have made 2025 MotoGP wildcard decision after Andrea Dovizioso’s Shakedown appearance

Speaking on MotoGP’s After the Flag show, Jack Appleyard read a positive expression on Quartararo’s face after day two of the official Sepang test.

“Nod of the head, a look at the eyes thereof Fabio,” he said. “The eyes always give you an impression of exactly how a rider is feeling. You have to say, that is a positive look on Fabio Quartararo’s face.

“I’m going to try and see if someone, somewhere has got a time screen to be able to tell us how good that lap was. I’m going to guess by the smiles in the Yamaha box, that was pretty good indeed.”

How Yamaha’s partnership with Pramac will help them during the 2025 MotoGP season

Lin Jarvis was stunned Yamaha secured a miraculous Pramac deal for 2025 which is a deal carrying huge upside for the factory outfit.

The extra feedback and data they will be able to gather should turn aid their development in the long term and give them some extra allies out on track.

After winning the 2024 riders’ title with Jorge Martin on their bike, it would be common for Pramac to take a step backwards this season.

READ MORE: Jack Miller admits Yamaha were wrong about controversial Ducati MotoGP part being ‘outlawed’

They’re stepping away from a bike which won 36/40 races on offer and has been developed to a further degree over the winter.

Instead, their eggs will be in the long-term basket as they look to fight at the front with a Yamaha bike which has just started to show promising signs for the first time in years.