Fabio Quartararo has ‘already lost too much time’ at Yamaha, a team insider has told Manuel Pecino. Quartararo is widely thought to be starting his final season with the Japanese manufacturer.
The Frenchman has ridden Yamaha motorcycles ever since he made his MotoGP debut in 2019. After two years at satellite squad SRT, he joined the factory squad as the successor to Valentino Rossi.
Quartararo won the world championship during his first year in blue and looked well-placed to retain his crown the following year. However, after his victory at the German GP put him 34 points clear at the top, he succumbed to a remarkable comeback from Francesco Bagnaia.
Where does Fabio Quartararo rank among Yamaha’s greatest riders?
El Diablo hasn’t won a race since that day at the Sachsenring. His decision to renew his Yamaha contract in 2024 has backfired, with the team slipping to the bottom of the pecking order.
Fabio Quartararo ‘has to fly and try another place’
Even before pre-season testing, strong rumours emerged that Quartararo has signed for Honda ahead of 2027. The rider has said nothing since to silence those rumours.
Quartararo is widely regarded as one of the very best riders on the grid, but he finished ninth in last year’s world championship and may struggle to even replicate that result this year following Yamaha’s switch to a V4 engine.
Yamaha hoped to convince Quartararo to stay with the long-awaited move, but he has been dissatisfied with the rate of progress. This weekend’s Thailand Grand Prix kicks off a long and potentially painful development journey.
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Should Yamaha explore an early exit for the Frenchman?
Speaking on the Paddock Pass podcast, Spanish journalist Pecino revealed that even a Yamaha team member recognised the need for Quartararo to move on.
He said: “Speaking with somebody inside the Yamaha garage, whose name I cannot say, they told me, ‘Look, Fabio has to leave, because he has already lost too much time here. He’s such a good rider, so good, so strong. He has to fly and try another place.’
“He got paid for being where he is now, but it was his choice.”
Yamaha’s potential 2027 line-up emerges after Fabio Quartararo exit
With Quartararo’s departure simply pending confirmation at this stage, Yamaha have moved quickly to replace him.
Jorge Martin to Yamaha is also seen as a done deal, and there could also be a change on the other side of the garage, with Alex Rins expected to be let go at the end of his contract.
On Thursday, Yamaha were linked with Luca Marini, the rider often labelled MotoGP’s ultimate bike developer. The Honda man is arguably a better fit for what Yamaha need right now than Quartararo.
Toprak Razgatlioglu, who is making his debut at satellite team Pramac, is also an option, but it seems he may have to wait until 2028 at the earliest before he’s promoted.
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