At the Jerez test, Fabio Quartararo found a solid foundation for the new V4 Yamaha—this was confirmed at Le Mans—why he’s sticking with the old aerodynamics
“I gave it my all on every single lap,” says Fabio Quartararo after his daring ride at his home race in France. Hundreds of thousands of fans cheered on the Yamaha rider, who lived up to those expectations on the track.
Starting from sixth on the grid, Quartararo finished fifth in the sprint race. In the Grand Prix, he got off to a strong start and was even briefly in second place on the first lap. Quartararo fought hard and crossed the finish line in sixth place.
Is this weekend a good starting point with the new V4 Yamaha? “I don’t think it’s a starting point. It’s simply a point where we’ve found our baseline,” says Quartararo.
“I had the same feeling during the Jerez test. I was pretty consistent, I set great lap times, the feeling was there. We tested everything twice and know that this is the setup that works best.”
“So we’ll leave the bike as is and try to figure out how I can go faster through my riding style.” Visually, the front wing from last year stands out on his bike, which he switched to during the Jerez test.
In addition to Quartararo, Toprak Razgatlioglu also switched to the old aerodynamics. Alex Rins and Jack Miller stuck with the new fairing variant featuring Ducati-style winglets.
With the old aerodynamics, Quartararo has found a significantly better feel for the front wheel: “Other riders don’t really feel the difference, but for me, the difference in the feel at the front is quite big.”
“It’s not about more performance, but just about the feel. The feedback the bike gives me with this aerodynamics is better.” Can Quartararo now ride the way he wants to again?
“Not quite the way I’d like, because unfortunately our bike’s turning is very weak. But the good thing is that I can really push hard at the front; I feel something from the bike during trail braking.“
”That’s something I’ve never felt this year, and we felt it in Jerez. Once you have your package, your base, you have to focus and just get the best out of what you have.”
It’s all a matter of feeling
Quartararo was the only rider to choose the soft front tire for the Grand Prix and managed it well over the 27-lap distance. The choice was a conscious decision and not a gamble.
“I had to brake gently, but that’s exactly where I could try to make a difference. I haven’t had that kind of feeling in a long time, even though we know the bike’s potential is still very limited.“
”I was able to push 100 percent, and that was nice, especially on the first lap, where everything is closer together and it’s easier to overtake. It’s just a matter of feeling: I feel the bike a little better.”
But it remains to be seen how the new V4 Yamaha will perform this coming weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where there is a significantly longer straight.
“What I know for sure is that I can push,” Quartararo says, noting progress. “I survived the first four laps—that’s a big difference.”
“You could see it during the qualifying attempt in Jerez: I was really far off my lap time from 2025. This weekend I was only four tenths off. I think we can be satisfied.”
Because for Quartararo, the most important aspect is that he can now better sense the limits of the new Yamaha. “I’m happy because I can always push to the limit. Position doesn’t matter; I always push.”
“I want to continue developing as a rider, and I believe that every time I get on the bike, I learn something new. The most important thing is that I don’t want to lose that special motivation to always give one hundred percent.”
Rins and Razgatlioglu finished right behind each other at Le Mans in 12th and 13th place. Miller scored his first World Championship point of the season by finishing 15th. Quartararo is currently 16th in the riders’ championship.
