“It’s better to be a wildcard” - Fabio Quartararo’s grim remark on Yamaha's competitiveness
Honda has made a big leap over the winter, leaving Yamaha in its shadows.
Fabio Quartararo feels the performance of the Yamaha M1 has become so track-dependent that it would almost be better for him to contest some MotoGP races as a wildcard.
Yamaha was the big revelation of the opening pre-season test of the year in Sepang, leading to suggestions that the Japanese marque might have produced the second-quickest bike of 2025.
However, the Sepang test proved to be a false dawn for the Iwata-based manufacturer, as the M1 struggled at low-grip tracks in Thailand - both during the test and the season-opener - and Argentina.
Quartararo doesn’t think things will get better for Yamaha any soon, claiming that the French GP will be the only race in the first half of the season where the M1 will be competitive.
“The Sepang tests gave false information, but I knew that because the track had a lot of rubber and the grip was perfect, kind of like what others everywhere have,” the Frenchman was quoted by GPOne.
“When you believe strongly in something and the feedback doesn’t come quickly it’s discouraging, plus if I knew before from a judgment on the bike, now everything is unknown.
“From Jerez to the summer break we will always be in action between private testing, I think at least 6 or 7 days, IRTA testing and the races. I hope at least there will be some concrete things to try.
“Where will we do well? Le Mans will be a good track for us because the grip is constant and doesn’t drop, but it’s one race in ten. At this point, it’s better to be a wildcard.
Yamaha’s results in the early part of the year are in stark contrast with those of Honda, which has made a genuine leap forward with its beleaguered MotoGP programme this year.
Honda moved up to second in the manufacturers’ standings following Argentina, while Yamaha has been consigned to last place with half the points as of its Tokyo-based rival.
MotoGP is heading to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin this weekend, a track where Quartararo scored a 12th-place result last weekend.
The 2021 champion ruled out a top-five result for Yamaha in the Americas GP but is hoping that it will be able to gap to the frontrunners after a difficult showing in Argentina last time out.
“I hope it will be a better weekend for Yamaha since the last one was complicated,” he said. “Irrespective of the result, however, I hope to find the good feelings again. In Thailand, we struggled in terms of rear grip, while in Argentina I didn’t have the pace. Here I’m aiming for consistency and having fun.
“Tomorrow there will be some new things to try, but nothing significant or that will help us in a major way. Maybe Fernandez will test something more.
“What happened in Buriram we know, while in Termas de Rio Hondo we simply lacked pace. Here I still expect to struggle, although on the one lap, we are not bad. I don’t think I can finish in the top 5, however, I am optimistic about being closer to the best.”
