Quartararo in a MotoGP V4 power struggle

2021 MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo is off to a tough start to the 2026 season as the Frenchman tried to get up to speed on the new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP V4-powered YZR-M1. Painfully slow through the speed traps, at a loss for rear grip and far less nimble and agile as the Yamaha M1s that came before, these points were well illustrated at the 2026 MotoGP opening round in Thailand where Quartararo, the first French MotoGP champion, placed a distant 14th. Hoping for a rebound at the second round in Brazil, he's staying positive while the team works to get the new M1 sorted out.

“The place is amazing," Quartararo from the paddock of the Goiania circuit. "Yeah, I think the track is good. Of course it is not the perfect track for us because of the long straights.”

Quartararo wrote in a social media post that, “The energy and culture here in Brazil will, I think, give us an extra boost to continue our work.” Will it be enough to turn the tide for the team?

“I don’t think so,” admitted Quartararo, who has been with Yamaha throughout his eight-year MotoGP career. “I think the most important thing right now is trying to find the base of our bike, but it is a difficult thing. We need at least a few months to still understand how the bike is going. Of course I am giving it my best and of course we are trying to figure out how we can go fast and see the potential of the bike.”

Quartararo said things aren't quite as dire as the 14th-place result in the opening round suggested.

“In Thailand we had an issue with the engine on the last lap, so of course it was not an easy race,” he said. “But like I said, the team was trying to make the best compromise possible. Right now I think it is difficult to fight for points, so we will just try to do our best and try to fight for the best results. This is the most difficult thing to take on because I am a competitive guy and I want to win. We know that we don’t have the potential in the bike to fight for top 10s right now, but I know my potential. I’m just trying to understand everything and trying to try and take some positives for my future. And of course I am trying to give the feedback to them and to try and understand the potential of what we can do.”

Meanwhile, Yamaha is working on the V4 M1 and the word is a new engine may be ready for the French Grand Prix in June.

“I think that we can maybe have a small upgrade, but I think it will be a really, really small step compared to what we need, but we need to speed up the process and try to improve our position,” said Quartararo of the research and development process. “Of course this is going to be a long year, but I’m just trying to figure out how I can make it go quicker. I want to try and spend the weekends positively, because these are difficult times. And the bike can be better everywhere because compared to last year, we lost the top speed, the braking, stability at the front and we lost the grip and we lost the power. So it is many, many things and we are trying to find improvement.”

While he calls for patience, rumors are already swirling that 26-year-old Quartararo will leave Yamaha at the conclusion of the ’26 season to take a two-year deal with HRC. Quartararo admits he's already decided what's next for his career.

“Yeah, my future is done,” answered Quartararo when asked about the speculation. “Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything, but of course my future is done. Mentally, it is good for me and keeps everything quite good. I think that the most important thing right now, is trying to achieve my goals and to spend 2026 in the best way. Of course it has been a tough first month of the season because I expected the bike to be better, but I have to live with that and try to figure out what we can do to be more calm and to spend the year being as fast as possible.”