Fabio Quartararo has signed a 2 year extension with Yamaha to extend his stay in MotoGP. Quartararo won the MotoGP championship with Yamaha in 2021. He then followed that championship up with a second place finish in 2022. Since those triumphant years Yamaha and Quartararo have struggled with maintaining performance in MotoGP. In 2023, Quartararo finished an unfamiliar 10th. Quartararo spoke on the new approach at Yamaha which has him confident for better results in 2024.
Fabio Quartararo Excited for Contract Extension
Quartararo said, “I am super happy to announce that I am going to continue my adventure in BLUE! Last winter Yamaha proved to me that they have a new approach and a new aggressive mindset. My confidence is high: we will be back at the front together! Six years ago, they gave me the chance to step up to MotoGP, and since then we have achieved great things together. We still have a long way ahead of us to start fighting for victory again. I will work hard, and I am sure that, together, we will achieve our dream once more!
Yamaha made Quartararo the highest paid rider in MotoGP with the deal. He will make a base salary of €12m.
Tim Jarvis Managing Director, Monster Energy Yamaha Motor Racing MotoGP
“We are very pleased that Fabio will remain a Yamaha rider,” he said. “Keeping Fabio as a part of the Factory Team is integral to Yamaha’s MotoGP Project. Fabio is an exceptional talent, a hard worker, a great team player, and he has many competitive years ahead of him. Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha Motor Racing, and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are sparing no effort to ensure a bright future with Fabio by taking a more ‘aggressive approach’ to bike development.
We have already made significant changes to our organization including a new internal management system, recruitment of top expertise within the industry, new external technical partnerships, increased development budget, and an intensified testing program. All these changes are designed to speed up the process for us to return to winning ways.
Fabio has understood this commitment, and this has given him the confidence to make his decision to stay with us for the coming years. Fabio has been with Yamaha since 2019 and with us, the Factory Team, since 2021. In a relatively short time span of just four years, we achieved many successes: 8 wins, 21 podiums, a MotoGP World Title, and a Vice Champion Title.
“We are the first to admit that there is much work to do to get back to the competitive level we were at in 2021 and the first half of 2022. But with Fabio you know he will always put in 100% of his best effort. It also comes natural to him to create harmony and a good atmosphere with all staff members. He can count on the Team’s and Yamaha’s full support every step of the way as we challenge to win more championships together.