Fabio Quartararo pressures Yamaha ahead of vital MotoGP test: ‘I have no time’
Fabio Quartararo has once again reminded Yamaha of the importance of the Valencia MotoGP test
Fabio Quartararo has mounted pressure on Yamaha ahead of the Valencia MotoGP test on Tuesday over his 2027 future, noting “I have no time” to give the V4.
Yamaha announced on Sunday that it will press on with its place to race its new V4 bike next season, with its full-time riders testing it for the second time on Tuesday in Valencia.
This test is seen as vital in convincing 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo to consider remaining with the Japanese brand for 2027.
Augusto Fernandez finished 16th in a wildcard on the V4 at the Valencia Grand Prix, though noted that the bike’s main issue of front-end confidence remains.
Fabio Quartararo’s warning to Yamaha over his 2027 MotoGP future
Quartararo was less than impressed by the V4 when he first tested it at Misano in September, but says he goes into Tuesday’s post-season test expecting it to have “more or less the same pace” as the current inline-four.
“My expectation, for me, is to at least have a bike I can make more or less the same pace as this one,” he said on Sunday night in Valencia.
“If not, it’s going to be difficult for Yamaha, for me.
“At the end, there’s not so much time between here and the Malaysia test.
“It’s more or less the same as from Misano to here. So, this is my expectation.”
When asked by TNT Sport about the importance of this test with a view to his future, he replied: “I have no time.
“So, it’s going to be important. I will also have a clear idea after this test. I just want to try to make it work, and if not it will be time to make a change.”
Though Yamaha is retiring the inline-four, Quartararo says it would be pertinent to have one available in Tuesday’s test to help the engineers compare.
“I think it should be correct to have one four inline, still not a goodbye, and a V4,” he said.
“I think it’s good to have them both. It’s good to feel the difference, because the four inline, the front is really good.
“We struggled this weekend, but in general, I always had a good feeling.
“But I think that it’s pretty normal to have the bike from the previous year in the garage to see.
“But we saw in Misano that when I jumped back on the four inline I was 0.5s faster. So, it’s good for the engineers to see.”
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
