Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo will be a high-profile absentee during MotoGP’s season launch this weekend. Quartararo flew home after sustaining an injury during testing.
The 2021 world champion crashed heavily on the opening day in Sepang. While he initially tried to continue riding, he was later diagnosed with a broken finger.
This ended his involvement in the test, though Quartararo should return in Buriram later this month.
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The injury comes amid strong rumours that Quartararo will leave Yamaha at the end of the season to join Japanese rivals Honda. He has voiced his dissatisfaction with the development of their V4 bike.
Fabio Quartararo angers Yamaha by leaving Malaysia after testing injury
According to a report from El Periodico, Quartararo is completely ‘fed up’ with Yamaha at this stage. While the timing of his reported Honda agreement was a surprise, he apparently decided not to renew his contract after the Valencia test.
The November prototype of the Yamaha V4 was a ‘huge disappointment’ in his eyes, even if other riders sounded more positive.
Where does Fabio Quartararo rank among Yamaha’s greatest riders?
In normal circumstances, Quartararo would have stayed in Malaysia after his Tuesday crash and attended the Kuala Lumpur launch. But his decision to return home to Andorra underlines his ‘strained’ relationship with Yamaha.
Indeed, he provoked the ‘anger’ of the team by leaving abruptly.
Why are Yamaha unhappy with Fabio Quartararo?
While one can understand why the riders, weary from a week of testing, wouldn’t be enthusiastic about this weekend’s extravaganza, it’s an important commercial opportunity for the teams.
As the report notes, there will be ‘thousands of fans’ in attendance, and the event will be streamed worldwide. Yamaha revealed their 2026 bike in Jakarta, which highlights the importance of the Southeast Asian market.
While the arrival of Toprak Razgatlioglu at satellite team Pramac has generated immense hype, Quartararo remains Yamaha’s franchise rider and biggest commercial asset.
It was already reported last year that Quartararo’s demeanour was affecting the motivation of Yamaha staff. Perhaps a separation is in the best interests of both parties.
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