Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo has arrived at the TT Circuit Assen for the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix in high spirits, as the Yamaha MotoGP rider strives to kick his campaign back into gear.
The 26-year-old has headed to the Netherlands on the back of a disappointing run of results over the past four rounds. Quartararo has not enjoyed a top-10 finish since taking second to Alex Marquez of Gresini in the Spanish GP at Jerez, where the Yamaha rider had scored pole.
Quartararo also claimed pole position for the French GP at Le Mans and for the British GP at Silverstone. But he failed to finish either race, as well as the Aragon GP, before finally seeing another chequered flag last week at Mugello as Quartararo settled for 14th in the Italian GP.
The Dutch GP now awaits at Assen, where Quartararo has only previously won once in 2021. His victory from second on the grid in a Yamaha one-two beside Maverick Vinales four years ago also marks the last top-10 premier class finish that the Nice native has enjoyed at Assen.
Fabio Quartararo is optimistic for Yamaha ahead of a race for the ‘first’ time in 2025
Yet despite finishing 12th at Assen in the 2024 Dutch GP after retiring from the race in 2022 and 2023, Quartararo has arrived in the Netherlands for the 2025 edition believing Yamaha can enjoy a ‘good’ result. But his expectations are dependent on the weather this weekend.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Quartararo from net worth to career stats
The Frenchman even admits that it is the ‘first’ time this year he has felt this way at the start of a race weekend. His optimism also comes after Quartararo admitted Yamaha’s ‘problem’ is that they qualify beyond the M1’s actual potential, having started from fourth at Mugello.
Quartararo detailed, via quotes by GPOne: “This is the first Thursday where I feel like saying that, if the weather is good, I think we could get some good results.
“I’ve always been competitive here in every session, and this is due to many factors. I think about the straights, temperatures, grip and tyre wear. These are four factors that affect our performances, and they were all there at Mugello.
“Then, of course, we also need to improve, especially in tyre wear. In Jerez, for example, the temperatures were high, but the tyre wear wasn’t. This allows us to keep the pace high.”
What is the weather forecast for the 2025 MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix at Assen?
Quartararo was not the only Yamaha rider to struggle with the M1 at Mugello last weekend, as Pramac star Jack Miller lamented his ‘unrideable’ bike at the Italian GP after he endured a fuelling problem. Pramac’s Miguel Oliveira was the top Yamaha rider last Sunday in just P13.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Yamaha from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
But the Dutch GP gives Yamaha a chance to respond, as long as the threat on the forecast of rain hitting Assen does not materialise following Quartararo’s claim. There is currently a 14% chance of rain falling during Friday, rising to 25% through Saturday and then 13% on Sunday.
Despite the threat of rain on the forecast for all three days of the Dutch GP, temperatures at Assen are predicted to range from 15°-23° on Friday, 17°-25° during Saturday and 13°-27° on Sunday. Cloud cover at Assen could also sit at 87%, 88% and 33% over the three days.
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