Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo became the first non-Ducati rider to score a podium in 2025 at the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend. Quartararo held onto second in the race after an astonishing pole position.
The Yamaha star went down on just the second lap of Saturday’s Sprint as Marc Marquez passed him for the lead. He admitted afterwards that he was overriding the M1 simply so he could enjoy leading a race again.
Indeed, this was his first pole position since the 2022 Indonesian GP. In Sunday’s race, Quartararo held on until lap 11, with M. Marquez crashing out while in pursuit.
In the end, his brother Alex came through, with even the Ducati GP24 too fast for the Yamaha to hold on. Still, Quartararo deserves enormous credit for defending against Francesco Bagnaia and keeping hold of second.
The former world champion hadn’t finished on the podium since the 2023 event at Mandalika. But the 20-point haul lifts him to sixth in the championship – the best of the rest behind Ducati.
Pierre Gasly congratulates Fabio Quartararo after Spanish Grand Prix heroics
Quartararo celebrated his result on Instagram, writing ‘finally!’ as his 560-day drought came to an end. He admitted he lacked the pace to ‘fight with Alex’ but was still ‘super happy’ to be the runner-up.
Tellingly, he thanked his family and friends for supporting him and ‘cheering him up’ at the lowest moments. Quartararo has struggled to accept Yamaha’s drop-off since his title-race years, but now they’re making a recovery.
The team’s official account replied ‘you superstar’, while injured Pramac ace Miguel Oliveira wrote ‘megaaaaa Fabinho’. Test rider Cal Crutchlow commented ‘well done mate, amazing ride’.
But the name that really caught the eye in the comments section was Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly. He wrote ‘bravoooo’ in recognition of his compatriot’s achievement, accompanied by the bicep emoji and two applause icons.
Pierre Gasly’s fellow F1 driver Isack Hadjar was also in touch with Fabio Quartararo
While round two of Marc Marquez vs Quartararo never really took place, MotoGP fans will hope lap one of Saturday’s Sprint was a glimpse of the future. The latter is arguably too talented to be fighting in the midfield.
Marquez expects Quartararo to be one of the ‘toughest rivals’ when the Yamaha is ‘fine-tuned’. The Japanese manufacturer are testing a V4 engine that may address their straight-line deficit.
In addition to Gasly, Isack Hadjar sent a message to Quartararo during the Grand Prix of Spain weekend. After the 26-year-old got pole, he used two fire emojis and a heart underneath his social media post.
Meanwhile, MotoGP legend Jorge Lorenzo saluted the ‘amazing’ Quartararo on his story. The performance earned him the sport’s inaugural ‘Rider of the Race’ award.
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