Fabio Quartararo’s run of consecutive MotoGP pole positions came crashing down in dramatic style at the Grand Prix of Aragon.
The Frenchman struggled in practice and had to rely on finding a good lap in Q1 to progress to the second part of qualifying. From there, Quartararo could only manage ninth, nearly one second off the pace set by Ducati’s Marc Marquez at the front of the pack.
He was still the best-performing Yamaha rider by some way, with Jack Miller next closest in 14th place for Pramac. Things didn’t improve much in the sprint either, as Quartararo started well, progressed to sixth, before dropping to 11th again by the end of the race. His recent MotoGP progress had disappeared.
Quartararo insisted he’s ‘not stupid’ after also struggling in the sprint at the British Grand Prix. He would then go on to lead the race comfortably before retiring with a technical issue. Quartararo told Yamaha their biggest problem for 2025 and they quietly addressed it. They may now be the second fastest manufacturer.
Fabio Quartararo complains about ‘dangerous’ Yamaha problem at the Grand Prix of Aragon
Quartararo is ‘ready’ to leave Yamaha if their development doesn’t continue to trend in the right direction. He has shown a lot of loyalty to his team, but he cannot afford to risk losing any more of his prime years on a bad bike.
Speaking after Saturday at the Grand Prix of Aragon, the 26-year-old rider complained about a ‘dangerous’ issue he encountered on his bike the day before, after managing to bounce back with more pace.
“From the third lap onwards, I had a lot of vibrations on the rear wheel and unfortunately couldn’t push as hard. It got worse every lap,” he told SPEEDWEEK. “To be honest, I don’t know how I managed a 1:47.9 on the last lap, because the bike was barely rideable due to this problem at the rear.
“Yesterday, it was dangerous to ride the bike the way it was. Today it was much better. We’re working well, and the work we’re doing here is really important. We’re always learning something, even if it’s difficult on the weekend.”
If he can emulate what he did in the race before at Silverstone and show rocket pace on Sunday, he could find himself contending for something more. He’ll also be hoping for a bit of luck.
Toprak Razgatlioglu has secured Fabio Quartararo clause in 2026 MotoGP deal
Quartararo is clearly top dog at Yamaha, and no one else consistently gets close to matching his pace. He’s always going to be first in line for upgrades.
Whenever their V4 engine arrives, he won’t be the first to get that. It may be tested by his Pramac colleagues to ensure reliability and that it’s quick enough.
In all likelihood, it will arrive for 2026, where Toprak Razgatlioglu has secured a Quartararo clause in his Pramac deal, which will entitle him to the same parts as the factory rider.
It might mean that finally, he faces a little more competition, and it may even help elevate his performance and push him to a new level.
