Fabio Quartararo was left in ‘disbelief’ by one thing that Yamaha did during MotoGP testing

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Fabio Quartararo ended up being one of the biggest surprises of MotoGP’s pre-season after Yamaha showed signs of improvement with their bike.

Quartararo finished in the top three during all three days of the Sepang test and looked really comfortable on their new machine.

Yamaha has sought improvements to their operation after a dismal few campaigns. No rider managed to finish higher than 13th in the championship last season.

The MotoGP season kicks off at Buriram in less than two weeks, and even after some slight struggles in the second test of February at the Thai track, they have strong hopes for an improved 2025.

Quartararo lamented a big problem that destroyed Yamaha in Buriram after they started to struggle with their front tyres. It’s something they must find a quick fix for before the inaugural event of the season.

One KTM rider discovered a Yamaha problem in Sepang after realising that they may have overtaken the Austrian outfit and could be the second-fastest team this year. It suggests they are in the mix at least.

Yamaha’s Sepang performance left Fabio Quartararo in ‘disbelief’

Quartararo’s facial expression told a clear Yamaha story after Sepang, where he was visibly positive about their bike.

2024 was comfortably his worst campaign ever, as he failed to finish in the top 10 of the standings and achieved no podiums.

Gino Borsoi loves Yamaha’s first-time approach for 2025 after the Japanese manufacturer invested heavily in their programme for the season.

READ MORE: Yamaha are doing something ‘pretty crazy’ behind the scenes to improve MotoGP fortunes

That could be music to the ears of Quartararo, who was left in ‘disbelief’ by their performance after Sepang, according to Paolo Ciabatti.

“I saw that Yamaha started strong with Quartararo, who was himself left in disbelief by the Sepang performance,” he told GPOne.

“It must be said, however, that that is a particular track and we also in the past have gone well initially, but then we had some not-so-positive surprises in subsequent races, for example in 2017 and 2018.”

MotoGP rivals feel ‘really strongly’ about Yamaha in 2025

Even though they struggled a bit in Buriram, Yamaha still had two riders inside the top 10 on the second and final day of running.

Both Quartararo again and Jack Miller on the Pramac were impressive, and their performance suggests that they will be in contention for the top 10 at almost every event at least.

Yamaha’s MotoGP rivals feel ‘really strongly’ about their bike after improvements over the winter and fear that their new plan is effective.

READ MORE: Fabio Quartararo’s demeanour at Yamaha has now completely changed before Thailand Grand Prix

Having a satellite team in reigning champions Pramac should only help them. Their feedback will be critical in driving their development in an even more positive direction.

It means there is light at the end of the tunnel for their champion Frenchman, who stuck around during tough times and now may be able to reap the rewards of such a bold decision.