Fabio Quartararo renewed his contract with Monster Energy Yamaha in MotoGP through the end of 2026. For many months, leaving Yamaha was a real possibility, given the ongoing lack of competitiveness of the YZR-M1 in recent years.
However, the Iwata manufacturer ultimately did enough to convince the 2021 champion to stay. In an interview with Manuel Pecino, Quartararo admitted that at one point, he seriously considered leaving:
– In September 2023, I was really thinking about changing brands. I asked for a lot of things: I need this, I need engineers of this quality, I need this project to really believe in it. Since the end of November 2023, they have brought in many people and a large budget for aerodynamics, the engine, and new personnel.
One of these hires was technical director Max Bartolini, who quickly made a positive impression on Quartararo: ‘I was able to have a fairly long meeting with Max Bartolini. In fact, the team and Yamaha have been lacking staff like Max, but I ultimately stayed because the project was substantial, they invested a lot, and also because of Yamaha’s loyalty to me when they promoted me to MotoGP at a time when I was still a nobody. Everything I asked for and everything they delivered played a role, too’.