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Fabio Quartararo Praises Yamaha’s Shift in Strategy for 2024 MotoGP Season
Fabio Quartararo has expressed his admiration for Yamaha’s evolving mindset as the team approaches the 2024 MotoGP season, despite its recent track performances not meeting his aspirations.
Yamaha is gradually embracing a more assertive strategy in its quest to reclaim a competitive edge and contend for victories, aligning itself more closely with the aggressive tactics adopted by its rivals in Europe.
This shift has been facilitated by the extensive testing freedom afforded to Yamaha under MotoGP’s concession system, allowing the team to rapidly introduce new components to Quartararo and Alex Rins’ bikes.
Historically, Yamaha was characterized by a conservative approach to upgrades, but the current changes signify a pivotal move away from that mindset, which Quartararo acknowledges as a significant improvement after a season where the M1 struggled for podium finishes.
“I did expect the bike to be faster, but more importantly, the transformation in our working approach has been vital,” Quartararo stated. “The mentality shift we’ve adopted is crucial for progress.”
“The concession system has been beneficial. When an engine performed well during testing, we could implement it immediately for the next race without extensive delays for full testing and safety checks. If it works, we integrate it right away. That was our approach during the first half of the season.”
“In the latter half, we made substantial strides, particularly in electronic systems.”
Demonstrating his faith in Yamaha’s future, Quartararo signed a new contract this year extending until the end of 2026, despite the team finishing near the bottom of the constructor’s standings for 2024.
He is confident that the new operational philosophy at Yamaha will persist, as it was a critical condition he emphasized before committing to the new contract. “As long as I’m here, this approach will continue,” he remarked. “If not, I wouldn’t be able to keep up. We initiated this shift this year.”
He added, “We’ve taken a small step forward, and I believe that momentum will carry into the future.”
Quartararo has been praised for maximizing the performance of the Yamaha throughout the season, with a fuel issue being the sole reason he did not finish among the top five in the races.
In the sprint race at Jerez, he crossed the line in third place, only to later receive a penalty for tyre pressure, costing him the podium finish.
His teammate, Alex Rins, faced challenges of his own as he adapted to the M1 and dealt with injuries that sidelined him for multiple races, which hindered the team’s overall performance.
Looking ahead to 2025, Yamaha will benefit from the addition of a new satellite team, Pramac, along with seasoned riders Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira, who will both ride on factory contracts.
Quartararo believes that incremental improvements, paired with the additional data from four bikes, will enhance Yamaha’s prospects of consistently competing for top-five finishes in the upcoming season.
“I need to compare my performance with my teammate since I’m the only Yamaha in the top standings at the moment,” he explained. “Next year, with three additional factory riders, we will gather more information and data.”
He concluded, “This past year posed significant challenges for us, and we identified two key areas for improvement—notably, we are not yet at the level for outright victories, but our aim is to consistently fight for top-five positions, and I believe we are gradually achieving that.”
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