Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo has widely been regarded as one of the best riders in MotoGP since his debut in 2019, as he delivers results that few rivals can match with the same bike.
Question marks loomed over Quartararo when Petronas Yamaha SRT plucked him out of the Moto2 field to complete their MotoGP rider line-up in 2019. The Frenchman did not achieve the levels of success that many expected in Moto3 or Moto2, but he soon quelled any fears.
Many expected Quartararo would thrive on the world stage as he won back-to-back FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship titles in 2013 and 2014. Yet the Nice native did not win a single Moto3 race and also secured just one Moto2 victory, over two seasons in each class.
MotoGP machinery immediately suited Quartararo’s style, though, as he earned seven pole positions during his rookie season with Petronas SRT on a satellite Yamaha YZR-M1. He also achieved three Grand Prix wins in 2020, before he joined the factory Yamaha team in 2021.
Which bike will Fabio Quartararo be riding in 2027?
Quartararo instantly emerged as the pillar of the Yamaha MotoGP project upon his arrival in the Japanese manufacturer’s works team, for whom he has achieved vast success. So, with that in mind, MotoGP News dives into the best moments from Quartararo’s MotoGP career.
Where did Fabio Quartararo make his MotoGP debut?
Fabio Quartararo made his MotoGP debut for Petronas Yamaha SRT in the 2019 Qatar Grand Prix. The Frenchman finished P16 on his premier class bow at the Lusail International Circuit, where he qualified P5 but had to start the race from the pit lane after he stalled on the grid.
Fabio Quartararo won his first MotoGP race at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix
Petronas Yamaha SRT saw Fabio Quartararo secure his first MotoGP Grand Prix victory from pole position in the delayed 2020 season-opening Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. The Covid-19 pandemic ensured the 2020 season began in July rather than March as initially planned.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Quartararo from net worth to career stats
Quartararo initially lost the lead of the 2020 Spanish GP off the grid to factory Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales and he also fell behind Honda’s Marc Marquez at Turn 1 and Pramac’s Jack Miller at Turn 6. But Quartararo profited on Lap 5 out of 25 when Marquez ran off the road.
Second place was also Quartararo’s again on L6 when the Frenchman dived down Miller’s inside at the final corner, where he even secured the lead on Lap 9. Vinales suffered a wild snap under braking for the Lorenzo hairpin, which sent the Spaniard wide and down to P3.
Miller and Vinales had no responses to Quartararo’s speed in clean air, as the Petronas SRT ace took his maiden MotoGP win. But his result was overshadowed by Marquez suffering a career-threatening arm injury in the 2020 Spanish GP when he crashed out of P3 on Lap 22.
When did Fabio Quartararo win his first MotoGP riders’ title?
Fabio Quartararo replaced Valentino Rossi in the factory Yamaha team for the 2021 MotoGP season, which proved to be a shrewd switch by the Japanese manufacturer. Quartararo also won his first MotoGP riders’ title in his first campaign with the works Yamaha squad in 2021.
Yamaha had not had a champion rider since Jorge Lorenzo secured the last of his three titles with the Iwata outfit in 2015. Quartararo beat Ducati ace Francesco Bagnaia to win the 2021 MotoGP riders’ title, and he lifted his maiden premier class crown with two rounds to spare.
Quartararo won the 2021 MotoGP riders’ title in round 16 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Misano. He ultimately finished the year with a 26-point lead over Bagnaia, who won each of the final two rounds to trim his deficit. Quartararo won five of the 18 Grands Prix in 2021.
Fabio Quartararo took his first pole position in MotoGP at the 2019 Spanish Grand Prix
Fabio Quartararo only needed four MotoGP races to get his first pole position in the premier class at the 2019 Spanish Grand Prix, with his 1:36.880 lap of Jerez. The Frenchman also led Franco Morbidelli by just 0.082s atop the Q2 timesheet for a Petronas Yamaha SRT one-two.
When did Fabio Quartararo take his first podium finish in MotoGP?
Despite Fabio Quartararo immediately showing his single-lap speed on a MotoGP bike with Petronas Yamaha SRT during his rookie season in 2019, it took the Nice native seven rounds to secure his first podium finish with P2 in the 2019 Catalan Grand Prix from pole position.
Quartararo beat Honda rider Marc Marquez by just 0.015 seconds to take pole for the 2019 Catalan GP with his 1:39.484 lap of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. But the pair traded places at the start of the race, with Marquez overtaking Quartararo as the latter fell to P9.
Jorge Lorenzo crashing at Turn 10 promoted Quartararo back up to P5, as the factory Honda rider also took out Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso plus Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi. Quartararo eventually also found a way past Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Danilo Petrucci.
Where did Fabio Quartararo win his first MotoGP Sprint Race?
As of the time of writing, Fabio Quartararo has never won a MotoGP Sprint Race since the abbreviated race format was introduced to the season calendar during the 2023 campaign.
Where did Fabio Quartararo take his best MotoGP Grand Prix win?
Fabio Quartararo has scored far fewer MotoGP Grand Prix wins than his talent deserves due to his loyalty to Yamaha during their plight after his 2021 title. Yamaha lost their way as the importance of aerodynamics grew, along with using an inline four engine rather than a V4.
Qualifying and defensive riding instead became Quartararo’s calling card, as Yamaha slipped further and further from the front. He learnt how to maximise his pace on a single flying lap, how to brake late and how to carry cornering speed to combat his rivals’ straight-line speed.
A handful of Quartararo’s MotoGP Grand Prix wins truly stand out. Quartararo, himself, sees the 2021 Doha Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit as his “most special” race win to date, having fought back after falling to ninth from fifth on the grid to win by 1.457 seconds.
Quartararo struggled to make progress in the first half of the 2021 Doha GP, but the turning point came at the very end of Lap 13 of 22. He picked up places down the pit straight when Jack Miller and Joan Mir tangled, and also soon picked off Alex Rins and Francesco Bagnaia.
Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco looked like they would pose a far tougher test for Quartararo to win the 2021 Doha GP. Yet the Frenchman overtook Zarco at Turn 10 and then also Martin on Lap 18, having carried far more speed through Turn 14 to make a bold lunge into Turn 15.
Pramac ace Martin immediately used the straight-line speed of his Ducati to retake the lead of the 2021 Doha GP from Quartararo into Turn 1. But Quartararo used his better cornering speed to lunge past Martin again into Turn 4 and, this time, escape before Zarco earned P2.
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