Yamaha “Worse and Worse”: Quartararo’s MotoGP Struggles Deepen
Yamaha's MotoGP struggles continue to deepen as Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins finish outside the points at the Austrian GP.
Fabio Quartararo’s frustrations reached a boiling point after the Japanese Grand Prix, where the Frenchman ran out of fuel yet again. It’s the second time in three races the former World Champion lost vital positions and championship points with the finishing line already in sight running out fuel.
Quartararo, who was set to finish 11th, had to settle for 12th after his Yamaha’s electronics failed to alert him of the issue in time.
“Two times in three races, I think is a bit too much,” he said, visibly frustrated post-race. “Already just before the bridge, I started to feel it, and then out of the last corner, the bike just stopped.”
Despite Yamaha’s recent improvements in performance, this fuel issue has become a recurring problem, one that Quartararo feels should have long been addressed by now.
“For me, it’s just that they are not still OK with the electronics. I think the strategy with the fuel is not working,” he continued. “Also, the lights on the dashboard… they are not working as we expect. The light appeared when I was without fuel. It’s too late!”
The fuel mismanagement wasn’t Quartararo’s only concern during a weekend that proved to be a significant step backward for the team. He struggled with grip from the very first lap, a problem that neither Quartararo nor Yamaha could fully understand.
“It was a really tough weekend. I felt like I was with a used tyre from the first lap. I didn’t feel any grip from the beginning, and this was something we couldn’t understand.”
The Frenchman pointed out that the bike’s performance is still heavily influenced by track conditions, an inconsistency that has plagued the team all season. “Our grip depends way too much on the track and not the bike,” he admitted after the race at Motegi.
With teammate Alex Rins finishing 16th, the Japanese GP served as an (important) reality check for Yamaha after showing siginificant signs of progress in the previous two race weekends.
