Let's talk MotoGP: Why I don't understand Fabio Quartararo's decision

This is the big surprise of this Friday. While I had already written and scheduled two articles concerning his potential transfer to Aprilia – and why, in my opinion, it would have been a good choice, here he puts me back, humbly, in front of my screen to express my astonishment as to his decision ; I didn't understand fabio quartararo. From what I've seen since yesterday, I'm not alone. A reasoned analysis is essential, but always respecting reason and benevolence.

As a reminder, this column only reflects the thoughts of its author. This is a subjective opinion which does not commit the opinion of the entire editorial staff.

 

Why ?

 

First, let's look at the fate of the Frenchman. We will come back to what Yamaha gains in the deal later. As the title of this paper indicates, his decision is incomprehensible, in the first sense of the term. This is not derogatory; I don't understand it. Everything seemed to indicate a transfer to Aprilia, both the few rumors from the paddock, but also the sporting dynamics. After all, the rumors may have been unfounded, but that's not the problem. I think that Quartararo, as a valiant champion, could find better elsewhere given the number of places available by 2025.

That's why I'm a little disappointed, on a personal level, of course. This great pilot MotoGP moreover, made the choice of security, by remaining in a team which tends to stagnate further in the ranking. He who, not long ago, still said he was dissatisfied with the equipment offered. He who, so often, has publicly pointed out the malfunctions of the Yamaha YZR-M1, particularly related to the engine. He who, after the Portuguese Grand Prix, confessed that he could no longer wait any longer before making a decision, meaning to leave.

 

 

The mess : it's the feeling that prevails when reading all your reactions on social networks. “El Diablo”, only 24 years old, denies the possibility of enjoying better equipment, and therefore, of working body and soul to return with the best. He did not do like Marc Marquez for example, who, tired of an inextricable situation at Honda, revised his salary ambitions downwards to just rediscover the pleasure of playing up front.

Conclusion Prime , his best period in his career is now. And since mid-2022, at least, it has been wasting its golden years for a manufacturer in constant decline. When Bagnaia, Martin – although older, and other Bastianini build up a track record, enter motorcycling history through the front door, the champion that is Quartararo is apparently not frustrated enough to risk returning to his previous condition.

 

 

What were Yamaha's arguments?

 

One question bothers me more than the others. What did the Yamaha bosses say to make him stay? One might wonder what Yamaha promised him so that he would put a part back into the machine. Financial power? This is completely misleading, and it even applies to the preparation period for the next regulation. Aprilia, with limited resources, is today one of the most advanced companies in terms of aerodynamics. And as for Honda, where was this financial power during the last three seasons? How did Yamaha get overtaken by all the others, if they had more resources? When misused, money is of no use. Moreover, the loss of a satellite team at the end of 2022 goes in this direction; maybe finances are no longer the strong point of Japanese monsters.

 

 

Give him a better teammate? Apart from a desperate Alex Rins after a difficult year at LCR Honda despite a victory, today, which young talent would choose Yamaha rather than Aprilia or Gresini Ducati? Person. A big motorcycle for the year 2027? His new contract doesn't go that far! At Aprilia or elsewhere (I think all the options were better), he would have had plenty of time to rebuild his name, to present himself, at 27, as a captain when signing a new contract. Two years is a long time. But two seasons in 10th position when you have 24 springs is even more so.

 

The right choice for the tuning fork firm?

 

A contract in MotoGP binds two parties. The driver and the team. I already looked at what this meant for Fabio Quartararo yesterday, so let's look at Yamaha's point of view today. And for once, I am also surprised and disappointed by this choice. I don't think it's very beneficial to them.

In the case of Zarco, for example, I imagined that he was making a strange decision, but that LCR Honda was rubbing its hands at the idea of ​​seeing one of the six to seven best drivers in the world arrive. But for Quartararo, although he is also part of the elite, I don't think his profile still fits the needs of Iwata's firm. Certainly, he is a world champion, one of the best drivers in the world, and you would have to be crazy to refuse him; but we must face the facts. Yamaha is not in a position, in the short term, to aim for the title; the Frenchman himself admitted it, specifying that there was still “a long way to go”. Therefore, I do not think that Quartararo, currently, is the suitable driver without taking away any merit.

 

 

Let me explain. Since the end of 2021, the firm has only regressed. Certainly, Quartararo is always capable of dazzling moments, possessing the soul of a champion. But is he the one to whom we should entrust the keys to the truck, is he the one who really instills a spirit of dynamism and progression within the Yamaha box? These are just completely open questions based on the progression curve of the YZR-M1 over the last three years.

With Quartararo as driver n°1, it is clear that Yamaha is no longer progressing, and is even regressing.. This was particularly striking last year, when, in Catalonia, engineers had to backpedal and bring out a dated package. In his renewal announcement, Fabio congratulates the aggressive and vindictive spirit demonstrated this winter, but the first two rounds of the 2024 championship do not corroborate his statement. He himself, a week ago, claimed to be still too far from the lead, complaining of a racing pace too far from the best. In Portugal, on Sunday, he took a second on the lap from Jorge Martin, and it was he who underlined this fact at the finish despite a good seventh place.

 

 

In my humble opinion, Yamaha, like Honda, does not need a performer, of a driver who can win. The bike must first progress. And what the Quarta/Yamaha tandem has done since 2021 does not encourage us to congratulate the firm for its daring choice. The bill will be all the more hefty if the Frenchman fails to prepare the ground properly for 2027.

 

And Aprilia in all this?

 

I will have the opportunity to take stock of Aprilia, and the riders they should target. But clearly, in my opinion, the Italian firm is missing out on a great opportunity. All the signals were green, and even if we exclude the volatile dimension of rumors from the equation, Noale, it seems to me, started in pole position on the Quartararo file, well ahead of KTM for example.

 

 

He would have been perfect as a leading driver replaced by Aleix Espargaro, the undisputed leader in development and direction. Today, Aprilia is partly held back by its lack of reliability, on the one hand, but also, by its duo which tends to underperform. “El Diablo”, who has the habit of extracting all the potential of the Yamaha – and sometimes more – would in my opinion have been better in this context, which did not prevent him, two years later, still young and fresh , to sign elsewhere and even to find the firm in tune.

Yes, getting back on track with Yamaha would be a great accomplishment. After all, this is what Marc Marquez failed to do at Honda if we look at the problem in reverse. But is this relevant given his age and talent, on paper? The road will be long, and what we have seen all these years does not reassure us about the next two seasons. An ultimately difficult timeframe to (re)make Yamaha a major force. As with all the other drivers, I sincerely hope that he will make me lie, and that he will be able to shine again. Believe me, I will be the first to congratulate him.

What do you think ? Tell me in the comments, but remain cordial: let's let history be made because talent never disappears. 

 

 

Photo: Michelin Motorsport