RiderTua.com – Fabio Quartararo wants to do some assessments before discussing a new contract with Yamaha. It is difficult to predict Yamaha’s results in the first race of 2024 in Qatar. It’s hard to imagine Fabio Quartararo or Alex Rins getting on the podium this weekend. Tests show that there are plenty of competitive Ducati bikes and the KTM-Aprilia pair also appears to be in better shape, at least on paper. After Friday’s free practice we will be able to get a better idea of how they rank on the track.
Quartararo-Yamaha: No Contract Extension Negotiations Yet
Quartararo does see improvements on his Yamaha M1 compared to 2023, but the accumulated gap is not small and therefore it will take time to intervene effectively in all areas. Quartararo knows Yamaha has increased the top speed and everyone is happy with that. “Maybe it won’t have much of an impact on the Flying Lap, but I think fighting in the race can be easier, considering that I have to be able to prepare myself to overtake and stay in the slipstream of the people in front of me. There are several areas we need to improve. Even last year then our pace was much better than the fastest lap, but we know how important it is to reach Q2 as early as Friday. We need to get back to 2019 or 2021 when we can ride with more flow in the corners. We need time to improve our electronics and our way use the rear tire when entering a corner…”
Yamaha will be able to take advantage of MotoGP’s new concessions, allowing it to organize more tests to be successful and make progress. The French rider believes that this is a great opportunity to exploit. “I think it’s important to have the possibility of changing a lot of things on the bike. The idea is there and then it has to be tested on the track. Having more tests throughout this season would be fantastic, too because we only have two bikes…”
No Contract Renewal Yet
Fabio’s contract expires at the end of 2024 and Yamaha has stated that it will extend the contract, but the rider explained that there are currently no concrete negotiations underway. “There is no deadline, we haven’t even had official discussions. I need time to seeing the project, the team mentality and how it goes with the new technicians. For now I can say that they are making steps forward and working hard. We need time, we are still far away and we cannot yet fight for the position we want. We have to be realistic, today right now we can’t think about fighting for the title. I don’t know when we will be ready.”
Quatararo’s remarks were clear and unsurprising. It’s natural that he would want to wait before making a decision about his future. He wants to understand the situation within the Yamaha team well and then make an assessment of himself. At the moment it is too early to talk about 2025.. or are you looking for another manufacturer? Ducati for example…
