Fabio Quartararo was once given 10 races to score points before his MotoGP contract was ‘void’

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Fabio Quartararo is widely regarded as one of the very best riders on the current MotoGP grid, but he was unfancied at the start of his premier-class career.

Across four seasons in Moto2 and Moto3, Quartararo only won one race and scored four podiums. He never finished higher than 10th in the championship.

He was beaten by riders like Fabio Di Giannantonio, Brad Binder, Enea Bastianini, Franco Morbidelli, Miguel Oliveira and Luca Marini. SRT, the now-defunct Yamaha satellite squad, took a huge gamble when they gave him a MotoGP seat in 2019.

‘Nobody had any idea’ about Fabio Quartararo’s potential

Speaking on The Race MotoGP podcast, journalist Valentin Khorounzhiy recalled that SRT gave Quartararo just 10 races to score a point. Had he failed, his contract would have been ‘void’.

The Frenchman made his debut at the Qatar GP in March, but he could have been dropped after the Czech GP in early August.

Fortunately, Quartararo finished eighth on just his second outing at the Argentine GP. Further points finishes followed in the US, France and Italy before his maiden podium in Barcelona.

Which under-the-radar Moto2 rider could be the next Fabio Quartararo? 🔍

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By the time the initial contractual deadline came around, Quartararo was ninth in the championship with 76 points.

Khorounzhiy said: “We’ve had him tell you, Simon [Patterson, his colleague], that his contract included a void clause after 10 races, if he didn’t score points, so clearly nobody had any idea what was going to happen.”

El Diablo climbed to fifth by the end of the year, ahead of factory rider Valentino Rossi. Maverick Vinales was the only Yamaha who outscored him, with SRT teammate Franco Morbidelli five places back.

The next Fabio Quartararo may now be emerging

At the end of 2026, Quartararo is leaving Yamaha to join Honda. It is shaping up to be an awkward farewell despite the fond memories of the 2021 title win in factory colours.

Quartararo has been increasingly critical of the team amid a victory drought that stretches back to the summer of 2022.

Yamaha will field a brand-new factory line-up next year with Ai Ogura now heavily rumoured to be joining as Jorge Martin’s teammate.

Izan Guevara could join Pramac, the satellite team, alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu. Guevara was relatively anonymous in Moto2 until recently, but Yamaha think he could flourish at the highest level just like Quartararo.