Yamaha riders noticed Fabio Quartararo doing something ‘special’ before stunning Spanish Grand Prix pole

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Fabio Quartararo produced an unbelievable display at the Grand Prix of Spain to take pole position over Marc Marquez.

The Ducati rider had taken pole in the opening four races of the 2025 season. Everyone would have expected Marquez to repeat his dominance at the Spanish Grand Prix, but Quartararo turned up for Yamaha.

Setting a lap record on his first run, Marquez looked certain to take pole. But on his final outing, the Yamaha rider produced a stunning lap with a 1;35:610, grabbing top spot for the Japanese manufacturer.

Quartararo went just 33 thousandths of a second faster than the Ducati to claim his first pole position in 1134 days. The 2021 MotoGP champion and Yamaha have not started from the front since the 2022 Indonesia Grand Prix.

The result completely stunned the MotoGP paddock as Quartararo is in a strong position to claim a podium or even the win. The 26-year-old has been putting in the effort behind the scenes to find performance on the YZR-M1.

Yamaha riders notice Fabio Quartararo doing something ‘special’ with the front on corner entry before Jerez pole

It has been a frustrating few years at Yamaha for the Frenchman as the manufacturer have regressed since his title win. Heading into Jerez, Quartararo is eighth in the standings with 30 points.

With only one finish inside the top 10 in the opening four Grand Prix, he is determined to lead the manufacturer back to the front. Carlo Pernat predicts Quartararo to stay at Yamaha ‘forever’, having decided to commit his future to the team two years ago.

Given the bike’s regression in recent years, the 2021 champion has had to put in extensive work to extract the maximum from the machine. His Yamaha colleagues noticed him finding something ‘special’ in Jerez.

In a report from The Race, Quartararo does not have the grip levels at Jerez that he ‘believes the M1 needs to fully thrive’. He had a high-speed crash during free practice on Friday, but was still able to put his bike in fifth.

To mitigate the issue with the lack of grip, Yamaha riders Alex Rins and Augusto Fernandez noticed Quartararo was doing ‘something special’ with how he was ‘using the front on corner entry’.

‘Exploiting that to the maximum’ is key in Jerez, given how difficult it is overtake. That is exactly what Quartararo has done as he puts his YZR-M1 ahead of the Ducatis of Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Quartararo from net worth to career stats

Fabio Quartararo pushed to the limit to solve Yamaha’s balance issue at Jerez

Despite taking a monumental pole for the Sprint and the main race, Yamaha still have some concerns that need to be addressed.

Quartararo has urged Yamaha to ‘sacrifice’ the front end to improve the rear so they can edge closer to Ducati. The Frenchman’s accident on Friday highlights the lack of balance in the YZR-M1 – something he was quick to address.

Speaking with Sky Sport Italy, the 26-year-old is also optimistic: after he pushed to the limit in practice. “Our bike is not really balanced, I got a little too far to the limit and lost the front. I wanted to try though, I haven’t felt this good in Jerez in a long time. I wanted to find the limit-and I found it.

“It’s very difficult to have the bike balanced, but I feel much better. We hope to find something to improve the grip on the exit.”