Fabio Quartararo: 2024 was my “Best MotoGP Season” Despite Bad Results
Although Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha were struggling massively in 2024, the Frenchman reveals he thinks it was his "best MotoGP season" in a very specific way.
Yamaha endured a tough 2024 season as it failed to register a single podium, with its best result a sixth-place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix at the end of the campaign for Quartararo.
In 2025, the Frenchman believes Yamaha will start “better than last year”.
The Japanese manufacturer showed strong performances in the pre-season tests. Quartararo was among the fastest in Sepang in particular. In Buriram, he set the eighth-fastest time.
“The tests were positive for us. Now it’s time to go racing – that’s the most fun. Then we’ll see where we stand. But after the first five races we’ll be able to assess our level better,” said Quartararo on Thursday.
“You could see at the test that all the manufacturers are fast. Marco Bezzecchi in particular was strong. At the moment, however, the Ducati are the strongest,” said the 25-year-old.
“But I want to concentrate on myself. We have four Yamaha riders this year and therefore more data at our disposal. We are also testing a lot. I think we are better than last year, when we finished the tests in Malaysia and Buriram in 11th and 14th place.”
“This time we were third and eighth. We are starting with a better base, but I don’t want to set a target – because I don’t have one at the moment.”
“As I said, testing is different because we’ve done two days with just Michelin tires. Quartararo struggled with a lack of front-end feeling during the Buriram test, which will be his main focus in Friday practice as it’s a tire issue he says he never struggled with last year.
“We’ll see, because normally it’s nothing to do with the bike because I didn’t have this problem last year,” he said about working on his feeling for the front. So we will see in race mode what we can do. But first of all I think we are better than last year.”
Quartararo has no specific expectations for the MotoGP season opener in Thailand, as he repeatedly emphasized during the test. In 2024, he finished 10th and 16th in the Sprint and Grand Prix in Buriram.
