QUARTARARO RE-SIGNS WITH YAMAHA

Fabio Quartararo will continue to ride for the Monster Energy Yamaha squad in the MotoGP World Championship until 2024 after signing a new two-year deal.

Speculation was brimming that the defending champion may move elsewhere in 2023, however the Iwata factory has successfully secured his signature for the next two seasons.

The 23-year-old Frenchman was a revelation in 2021, securing the title in his first year with the factory team. He won five races in the process and scored a further five podiums.

Quartararo also sits top of the 2022 standings after eight rounds, with a win and two podiums under his belt.

Qualifying prowess has been one of the keys to Quartararo’s success – he has 38 front row starts out of 59 Grand Prix weekends aboard the YZR-M1.

In sharing the news, Quartararo admitted that the decision to stay at Yamaha was not straightforward.

“I am really happy to announce to all of you that I will stay with Yamaha for two more years,” he said.

“In the past, moving up to MotoGP with Yamaha and later to the Factory team were no-brainers. Yamaha believed in me from the very beginning, and that is something I do not take lightly.

“But that being said, this new agreement was a big decision. I’m at a great point in my career, so I took a bit more time taking this decision to be sure.

“I believe in the Yamaha MotoGP project, and I feel Yamaha are truly motivated. And now that we have officially confirmed our decision to continue on this path together, we can fully focus on the current season.

“I want to say ’Thanks!‘ to the people around me, who always help me and support me, as well as to the fans who are cheering me on. I really do appreciate all the support.”

Yamaha Motor Racing Manager Director, Lin Jarvis expressed that Quartararo is a special talent who will be vital to the teams future success.

“We are very happy to have reached an agreement with Fabio to continue with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team for 2023 and beyond,” Jarvis said.

“We brought Fabio into the Factory team last year knowing he is a special talent, but he even exceeded our expectations.

“One doesn‘t often come across a rider of his calibre. He was already showing his talent and speed in his two years with the SRT satellite team in 2019 and 2020, but when he made the step up to the Factory team, we could really see him growing stronger and maturing as a rider.

“With Fabio we know he will always put in 100% of his best effort, and we have assured him that Yamaha will do the same and we will invest in future developments so that together we can challenge for the MotoGP World Championship Titles for years to come.”

Yamaha has now secured both factory riders for 2023, Quartararo joining Franco Morbidelli who is locked in for next season.

For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the current issue of Auto Action.