RiderTua.com – Marc Marquez couldn’t wait for Honda to be competitive and chose to leave for Ducati, Fabio Quartararo did something different, who preferred to continue the MotoGP development project with the Japanese manufacturer. According to Marquez, Fabio did the Yamaha contract renewal because he had more time than Marquez.. Marc Marquez believes that Fabio Quartararo’s youth made him understand that the French rider chose to renew his commitment with Yamaha until 2026, even though it was clear that the Yamaha M1 bike was problematic (less competitive).
Marc Marquez: I left Honda, why not Fabio Quartararo?
Five days before arriving at the Austin GP, Yamaha announced a contract extension for the rider who spearheaded the development of the Yamaha M1. In Texas, Fabio Quartararo justified his decision, mainly based on the internal restructuring process, especially in the technical field of the Japanese manufacturer. The engineer they trust is Massimo Bartolini, Gigi Dall’Igna’s right hand man at Ducati, who was appointed as technical director.
Before the Quartararo partnership became official, many discussed the dilemma the French rider faced compared to the one Marc Marquez faced last season, and which ultimately led him to leave Honda after eleven years and join Gresini, albeit a satellite team. Where it competes with Ducati whose specifications are one year longer. Even though Quartararo took the opposite direction (loyal to Yamaha), Marquez understood the reasons why the young rider from Nice gave the tuning fork team another chance to rise. The main thing is that Quartararo is still young, he is now 24 years old, seven years younger than Marquez, who turns 31 this February.
Marc said he was not surprised that Quartararo stayed at Yamaha. “Firstly, because Yamaha is Yamaha, like Honda is Honda. Sooner or later, they will arrive at the top. Many people compare it with my situation, but Fabio has more time than me,” stressed Marquez.
For Marquez, another element that makes him sympathize with his rival’s decision is the absence of trauma like the one he experienced due to the arm injury he suffered in the race at Jerez in 2020, which resulted in him having to undergo surgery four times. Quartararo hasn’t gone through a period like Marquez went through, with an injury so severe that it even made Marc doubt himself, Marc added.
Fabio Quartararo was only 15th on Saturday and 12th on Sunday, proof that at Yamaha he will not have it easy. Competing in the first three races Quartararo is 12th in the riders’ standings, and his best result so far this is the seventh position he achieved in Portugal.
