Yamaha drives Quartararo to despair: "Completely lost"

The French rider confirms his frustration after the Czech Republic GP, which ended with a retirement: he continues to struggle massively with the M1.

The MotoGP weekend in Brno was another flop for Yamaha, now consistently unable to be competitive. Debuting the V4 engine may be useful with a view to 2027, but the 2026 season has been totally sacrificed. Even though the Iwata manufacturer is still trying to improve the current M1, it’s clear the focus is now on next year’s project. With new technical regulations and a new tire supplier, everyone will practically be starting from scratch, which could be an opportunity for those who have struggled in recent years.

In Sunday morning’s Warm Up he didn’t feel too bad on the bike, though not at the level he would like, but in the race everything changed and it lasted about a lap and a half: "It was just about survival," Quartararo told Canal+. "Honestly, I don’t understand how such a big change could have happened to the bike between the morning and the afternoon. It’s frustrating, the feeling on the bike changes every time, whether it’s a sprint or a race. I feel completely lost on the first lap. I have no idea why, it’s a strange feeling on the bike."

The Yamaha M1 hasn’t improved in recent months, it hasn’t shown any standout qualities in specific areas, and the Nice-born rider misses the 2025 prototype: "Last year I knew what I was doing. I knew where the limit was, I knew how far I could push. This year I can’t understand the bike’s potential. The potential isn’t there, but even if it’s absent, there’s still a limit. We have no traction, we have no turning, we have no power. To get past Marini I made a suicidal overtake just to take P12."

It’s not the first time Fabio has highlighted the lack of strong points on the Iwata bike. He’s often been harsh in his statements, drawing some criticism, and the garage probably hasn’t been happy to hear or read some of his words. He himself admitted he sometimes went too far in getting angry and wants to change his approach, but his situation is so frustrating that it makes even the attempt to be more “diplomatic” in interviews complicated.

On the Monday after the Czech Republic Grand Prix, a Pirelli test was organized in which manufacturers used the 850cc prototypes with tires from the supplier that will replace Michelin in 2027. Considering that many riders will change colors next year, few actually lapped in Brno.

Quartararo wasn’t there, as he will move to the factory Honda HRC team. Yamaha fielded Toprak Razgatlioglu, who will remain with the Prima Pramac team in 2027, and test rider Augusto Fernandez. Only KTM with Pedro Acosta and Honda with Luca Marini and Joan Mir decided to use riders who won’t be with them next season anyway.