Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo will be looking to find some improvements on his YZR-M1 at the Qatar Grand Prix. The 2020 MotoGP champion has had a mixed start to 2025.
The Yamaha rider sits 14th in the standings with 16 points after the first three races. While Quartararo impressed in the Sprint at the Grand Prix of the Americas with P6, the Frenchman has been struggling on Sundays.
Austin was his first time inside the top 10 of a Grand Prix in 2025. Quartararo says finding grip is Yamaha’s ‘biggest problem’ and it seems to be hindering him again.
The 25-year-old is looking to take Yamaha back to the front of MotoGP, but the manufacturer have a long way to go if they want to catch Ducati. Quartararo says Yamaha need to improve the rear of the bike and has urged them to ‘sacrifice’ the M1’s strong front end to find a solution.
At the Qatar Grand Prix, the Frenchman will be eager to have a strong weekend. However, it did not get off to a great start after being impeded by Franco Morbidelli.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Quartararo from net worth to career stats
Fabio Quartararo was ‘really frustrated’ with Franco Morbidelli after impeding him in FP1 in Qatar
Morbidelli landed himself in controversy at the season opener in Thailand as he impeded Francesco Bagnaia during free practice. It was a key reason why the Ducati rider had to go through Q1, with Morbidelli receiving a three-place grid penalty.
Mat Oxley slammed Morbidelli’s ‘hopeless’ actions as he pointed out how dangerous it was to be on an in lap on the racing line. He repeated his antics in Qatar by impeding Quartararo in FP1 – he looked visibly annoyed with the VR46 rider.
Speaking via TNT Sports 2 during the session, commentator Gavin Emmett noticed the Frenchman’s anger: “Frankie Morbidelli, incurring the wrath of another rider again, that was Fabio Quartarraro on this occasion. Look, he’s getting really frustrated, I’m not quite sure what’s happened here.”
Neil Hodgson understood Quartararo’s anger: “He was. It is annoying, and you might say: “Well, Fabio’s overreacting’ but a rider at this level you can’t be just touring, riding round on the racing line whilst you come into the pits.
Sylvain Guintoli added: “If it’s your in lap, you’ve got to make sure you’re not in the way of anybody.”
Hodgson then asked: “And what do you do, how do you do that?” to which Guintoli replied: “Well you look back.”
“Exactly! Out of every corner you look back,” said Hodgson.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Franco Morbidelli from net worth to career stats
MotoGP fans fume at Franco Morbidelli for impeding Fabio Quartararo in Qatar
Morbidelli told Bagnaia he would improve after impeding him in Thailand. Clearly, the Italian has not learned his lesson and MotoGP fans were quick to scold him on X (formerly Twitter) about his incident with Quartararo.
One fan said: “Is anyone ever pleased with Morbidelli,” while another said: “Morbi has got quite a history of this.”
Many fans called for MotoGP to issue punishment to the VR46 rider. One said: “This guy needs a strong penalty once and for all. Totally oblivious of his surroundings,” while another went one step further as they wrote: “Franky needs a race ban. He impedes others every weekend.”
Another user said: “Frankie again. What is happening with him? He seems so unaware of what is going on around him in all sessions and races,” while one joked that: “MotoGP might need aerodynamic rear view mirrors just for Franco.”
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