Yamaha ‘have plans to return to winning ways’ after securing Fabio Quartararo

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis admits their plan is to keep Fabio Quartararo beyond his current deal, which was signed just last week.

Fabio Quartararo, Grand Prix of the Americas, 11 April
Fabio Quartararo, Grand Prix of the Americas, 11 April

Lin Jarvis says Yamaha intends to keep 2021 MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo beyond the multi-year deal he signed last week.

Quartararo put pen to paper on a two-year deal that will take him to the end of the 2026 season. 

Speaking about the significance of retaining Quartararo, Jarvis said: “Very important. Super happy that we could announce the signature for another two seasons.

“It’s important to sign the rider that has been our central pillar in recent years. He was champion in 2021, six years with Yamaha, four with the factory team.

“It’s a positive thing to know we can rely on his services. Firstly for the performance. We know he is the rider that can extract the maximum out of the capacity of the bike.

“Secondly, it is a vote of confidence. He knows what our plans are, where we’re going, what we’ll attempt, what we’ll try to do.

“That gives confidence to everyone in the project. Our engineers, our staff, our sponsors. It’s a positive thing for the championship as well.”

Yamaha’s last victory in MotoGP was courtesy of Quartararo, but the issue for the Japanese manufacturer is that it was more than a year-and-a-half ago.

Like Honda, Yamaha have drifted towards the back of the MotoGP field but Jarvis says their intention is to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

“We have plans to return to our former winning ways,” added Jarvis. “We are fully aware of the gap to various competitors.

“We know that we must change the approach a lot. To change the approach, it’s people more than anything.

“The skill, the people, the systems, the way you work, coupled with investment. We have explained to him what our plans are.

“He has witnessed several of those plans here. We brought in new European resources to join our Japanese team.

“His decision to stay with us is a sign of confidence that he has to become a winning rider again, in blue.

“We are discussing the rules from 2027-2031. We expect to sign up for the next era. But we still have work to do. There is a big gap to close but we’re on the right road.”

‘I hope he renews for another two years’

Fabio Quartararo, MotoGP, Grand Prix of the Americas, 12 April
Fabio Quartararo, MotoGP, Grand Prix of the Americas, 12 April

Despite signing Quartararo for the 2025/26 seasons, the Monster Energy Yamaha Team Principal does not want to stop there, instead signalling their intention to keep him long after his next deal.

Jarvis told MotoGP.com: “Fabio, indeed, has been with us for many years. His only experience has been with Yamaha.

“Sometimes that can be negative because you don’t have the vision of how other people are working.

“On the other side, working with Yamaha for so many years, he knows the company. He knows the people, he trusts the people. 

“He recognised the errors that we made. He has now recognised the investments that we have made for the future.

“Fortunately for us, he is still very young. He is investing in his future. He feels comfortable where he is.

“He likes to be a Yamaha factory rider. He knows that, if we work together well, we can achieve success again in the future.

“Sometimes if you’re at the back end of your career, you might choose a different path. 

“I hope he doesn’t only renew for two years. But, after, he renews for another two years.”

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