Fabio Quartararo’s MotoGP season-best gives Yamaha “different mindset”

Yamaha can head away from the fifth MotoGP race of the season with a “different mindset” after Fabio Quartararo’s sixth place in the French Grand Prix.

Quartararo’s weekend started poorly on Friday when he was only 17th, but he got through Q1 and qualified sixth, before taking top-sixes in both races, his fifth in the Sprint being his best of the year in either the full- or half-distance races.

For Quartararo himself, that Le Mans was his and Yamaha’s best weekend of the 2026 MotoGP season is obvious.

“I think we can be happy,” Fabio Quartararo told TNT Sports after the French Grand Prix.

“We know that we were struggling a lot in the first four races, this one was the first one that we started to be a bit better and we think that it was clearly the best weekend of the season.

“I think we made a good step.”

Quartararo added that the key for him was his performance in the opening laps, in which his alternative choice of front tyre – the Frenchman choosing the soft-compound whereas most of the rest of the top-10 chose the hard – possibly helped.

“I gave my maximum on the start; I knew it was my opportunity to be at the front and I gave my best,” he said.

“Unfortunately, could not stay a long time in this position, but I think we can leave happy.”

Quartararo’s result is important not only for himself but also for Yamaha, whose best result before this weekend on a Sunday was 14th, achieved by Quartararo in Thailand and by Alex Rins in Brazil.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team director Massimo Meregalli explained that Yamaha can now leave France with a “different mindset” having finally chalked up a top-10 result, but especially having finished within seven seconds of the race win.

“We are very happy, as you can imagine,” Meregalli told TNT Sports.

“After this tough period, to see some results is a boost for everybody, and especially for the rider. 

“We all work hard. When at least you can taste something it’s really rewarding. 

“He [Quartararo] started from yesterday, from Saturday morning, in a different way. He did FP2 very well, and now moving from Q1 to Q2 is very difficult and he has been able to do a really good lap time, just behind Marc [Marquez] that set a new record of the circuit. 

“Then he did a sixth place that for us was a long time. 

“He could manage really good the Sprint; we always check the gap between the winner and us, and yesterday it was the smallest, but today was even more significant because to finish by seven seconds to the winner for us is a really good sign. 

“Now we can move forward with a different mindset, then Monday we will have another test in Barcelona and let’s see if we can find something else.”