MotoGP, Razlan Razali, Yamaha Petronas: “when we mentioned the name of Fabio Quartararo, everyone was enthusiastic”

In 2019, Yamaha will have a new satellite team. Be the colors of Petronas, a new Iwata policy will also emerge. The Malaysian MotoGP adventure will indeed be combined with an official M1 in the box. A privilege that was never granted to the former partner Tech3, although loyal for almost 20 years. But it's all a question of cost and opportunity. And on the opportunity side, fabio quartararo didn't miss it!

On the airwaves of crash.net, the one-man orchestra of the Malaysian Grand Prix epic, Razlan Razali, remembers the efforts it took to get his team on the elite entry list. Lorenzo was approached, Pedrosa also, while Morbidely has always been in the pipeline. Two state-of-the-art M1s were even considered. But when it was necessary to decide on a young rider for the second bike, reason dictated that we go with a so-called “Spec-B” machine. What remains of beautiful material!

But how did our Frenchman find himself in this great situation? Razlan Razli explains on crash.net : " When we ran out of solutions for a seasoned rider to get another factory bike, we said to ourselves: let's get a young guy. We didn't decide this alone. We also consulted Yamaha ».

He pursues : " a few names were shortlisted and we agreed on Quartararo. Everyone is very excited about it. Because we know where he came from and how he progressed. Yamaha likes it, Dorna likes it, as do the guys at the French Grand Prix. I think he has the potential, and we are happy to give Fabio this chance ».

Shared satisfaction... Petronas Yamaha, the first Malaysian MotoGP team, will officially present itself in Kuala Lumpur on January 28.