Lin Jarvis: ‘Extremely grateful’ to Quartararo after first title win since 2015
New MotoGP Champion Fabio Quartararo took Yamaha’s first title since 2015 at last weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, a championship that can be savoured according to Managing Director, Lin Jarvis, unlike that of six years ago.
Quartararo’s win makes him the third Yamaha rider to win under Jarvis’s leadership - multiple time world champion’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo are the other two.
Before last weekend’s triumph, the last title winning season for Yamaha saw Lorenzo and Rossi battle until the final race in Valencia as they finished 1-2.
However, given the controversial circumstances of that season, Jarvis believes Quartararo’s maiden crown is a more enjoyable experience.
"Although today was unexpected, it was not unexpected that Fabio should become champion. He’s had a fantastic season and I think he’s a really deserving champion,” added Jarvis.
"He’s been very fast all year, very, very consistent, and on a bad day he’s taken points home and we’re extremely grateful to him for that and to be back on top after six years.
"The last one was the famous year of 2015 where we actually got 1-2 with Lorenzo and Rossi.
"But honestly speaking, even though we got a 1-2, that win was complicated and we were never able to truly enjoy it, to savour it due to all the controversy at the time."
While Quartararo’s title win was a foregone conclusion over the last few rounds, it looked as though the 22 year-old would need to wait an extra race.
After having qualified in 15th - his worst of the year, championship rival Francesco Bagnaia looked set to win and prolong the battle until Portimao.
But after Bagnaia crashed out with six laps remaining, it meant finish or not, Quartararo would take home the title.
Speaking about the race, Jarvis added: "It was a great day. We knew that sooner or later we could achieve the goal because coming into this race we had a 52 point advantage in the championship - with just 75 available.
"So the time was coming, but nobody expected it to be here. It was a pretty tough weekend up until then; Fabio had qualified down on the fifth row in 15th, also the Yamaha doesn’t work well in damp conditions, our riders don’t feel comfortable, hence the problems in qualification.
"We thought Ducati should dominate, and of course they did dominate in the early stages of the race with both Jack and Pecco [Bagnaia} going really fast.
"Pecco did everything he was supposed to do, but it’s not easy having as much pressure as he has too.
"I think having Marquez on your tail at 0.2 seconds for the entire race is difficult. He made just one small mistake and suddenly we are champions."
