Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio Quartararo has recognised that ‘there’s no point in always being angry’ with Yamaha’s poor performances in MotoGP.
Quartararo sits 14th in the championship heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, putting him on course for his lowest-ever finish. After winning the title in 2021 and fighting for it again in 2022, he has dropped into the middle of the pack.
Frustrated media debriefs have been a trend for the Frenchman this season, with Quartararo even saying Yamaha have ‘no idea’ how to improve their bike. The team have failed to win him over with their nascent V4 project, and he’s believed to be joining Honda for next year.
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‘I’ve been a bit too vocal,’ Fabio Quartararo admits
Yamaha boss Paolo Pavesio recently told Quartararo his frustration was ‘useless’ because ‘it doesn’t generate’ any benefit for the team. He did, however, note that El Diablo’s attitude had been ‘completely different’ lately.
Quartararo has now come round to Yamaha’s way of thinking. In an interview with Moto IT, he acknowledged that the public criticism hasn’t been constructive.
“It’s true that I’ve sometimes been a bit too vocal in my criticism,” he said. “It was my way of trying to improve things. Then I realised that there’s no point in always being angry.
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“For a long time now, I’ve simply tried to do my job, not be angry.”
Unfortunately for Yamaha, his anger now seems to have given way to apathy. After finishing well outside the points at Mugello, Quartararo said his only concern is staying fit, because ‘nothing is improving’ on track.
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Pavesio also said Yamaha don’t regret re-signing Quartararo in 2024, even though the relationship has become strained and the team’s image may have been damaged.
While Quartararo hinted that his expectations hadn’t been met, he refused to say it was a ‘mistake’ to turn down teams further up the grid.
“When you’re in the present, you don’t see it as a mistake,” said Quartararo. “Now that things aren’t going well, it’s easy to say it was a mistake.
“At that moment, I was talking to the engineers, to everyone, and for me it wasn’t a mistake. Today, we’re struggling, but I’m not saying it was a mistake.”
Since the start of last season, Quartararo has scored 238 points for Yamaha, while every other rider has combined for 206 in the same period.
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