Fabio Quartararo explained that “grip problems” were the cause for a tough Thai MotoGP season opening race.

Yamaha had made some steps forward in the off-season to its M1, but Quartararo made no clear goals for the season opener.

The Frenchman had reasons to be optimistic for the Sunday race after finishing seventh in the first Sprint race of the season.

He finished in 15th place, the final point scoring place, after dropping to the back of the pecking order at the start of the race.

“From the beginning we had grip problems,” Quatararo began to GPOne.

“I thought it was related to the tyre temperature, but even after three laps the situation did not improve.

“I couldn’t lean the bike and kept sliding, so I lost a lot of positions. Unfortunately, I was not able to have a good race and keep a good pace. It was tough.”

The 2021 champion revealed that his tyre choice setup played a part in proceedings, explaining that neither compound helped him.

“I had opted for the hard-soft combination, but the hard made me suffer a lot and the softs did not help us even in the first few laps,” he said.

Fabio Quartararo’s left leg was ‘burning’ due to weather temperatures

Quartararo revealed that his lack of grip wasn’t the only issue that troubled his season opener.

The temperature in Buriram itself was a cause of concern for the 2021 MotoGP champion, as temperatures neared 40 degrees Celsius.

The lasting effects saw Quartararo have a “burning” feeling on his left leg, leading him to suggest a shorter race for riders.

“At the finish line my left leg was burning. There were extreme conditions. You don’t often encounter such heat, maybe a few less laps would have made the show worse, but for us riders they were the limit.

“I honestly don’t know if we will be back here in 2026 at this time of year. In testing it was 4-5 degrees cooler and it was better.”

“I personally would have agreed to run a few fewer laps,” he admitted if there were any proposals.

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Fabio Quartararo will “evaluate” Yamaha MotoGP’s competitiveness after the opening “five races” of the 2025 season.

Yamaha experienced its worst season in MotoGP history and finished second to last in the Constructors Championship.

In a bid to get back to its old self, the team made several changes in its upper management and formed a new partnership with Pramac Racing to serve as its satellite outfit.

Paolo Pavesio replaced long-serving Lin Jarvis as the Japanese marque’s team manager, though Jarvis remains as an advisor.

The Frenchman has reasons to be optimistic after the two 2025 pre-season tests in Sepang and Buriram.

Yamaha finished in the top three on each day in Malaysia, but Thailand helped the marque identify areas for improvement.

“[I’m] ready,” Quartararo said on Thursday to Crash.net ahead of the season opener.

“Testing was nice, it was positive for us. Now it’s time to really race, which is the most fun part and see a little bit where we are because testing is one thing, but some made the time attack in the morning, some in the afternoon.

“So the lap time is a little bit different. In Malaysia, everyone did the lap time in the morning, of course, but here was quite different.

“But let’s see. We will evaluate the first five races to see where we are.”

Fabio Quartararo has no ‘goal’ for MotoGP season opener

The 2021 champion explained that he and Yamaha set no goals for the season opener in Thailand.

He explained that he sees improvement but admitted that his struggles with the front-end feeling around the circuit during testing could be a problem for the weekend ahead.

“Like I said, testing is different because we made two days only with Michelin rubber [on track].

“So, let’s see in race mode what we can do. But first of all I think we are better than last year.

“Last year’s test I finished 11th and 14th, this year third and eighth. So, already we start with a better base and then we’ll see how we finish.

“But I don’t want to set a goal right now because, to be honest, I don’t have any goal.

“Let’s see because usually it’s not really related to our bike because I never had this issue last year,” he said of working on his front feeling.

“Even when we were struggling I never had this issue and especially I was not feeling well with the front tyre.

“So, even if it is the same tyres let’s see if the feeling is different during the sessions and during this weekend. But this will be our main focus for this race.”

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Yamaha has announced that the team’s test rider Augusto Fernandez will replace Jonathan Rea at the WorldSBK Portimao round.

The 2022 Moto2 champion Fernandez will feature at both the Portimao test and race weekend, with both events taking place throughout March.

Rea sustained multiple fractures in his left leg on Day 1 of the Phillip Island test and flew back home to his native Northern Ireland to have surgery.

The Ulsterman’s time on the sidelines means Fernandez will make his WorldSBK debut. The 27-year-old previously spent two seasons with Red Bull GasGas Tech3 in MotoGP before joining Yamaha’s test team for the 2025 season.

“First of all I would like to send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Jonathan Rea and to thank Yamaha for this opportunity,” Fernandez said to WorldSBK.com.

“This will be my first experience of racing with the R1 but also of racing in WorldSBK. I can’t wait to get to the Portimão test to spend some time on the bike and to see how it feels.”

Niccolo Canepa, the Road Racing Sporting Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, added: “Jonathan has been sorely missed here in Phillip Island, but we are happy that the surgery on his injuries was successful and that he has now started the recovery process.

“We hope to see him fully fit and back on the bike as soon as possible. In the meantime, we spoke with Augusto and Yamaha Motor Racing about the possibility he could stand in for Jonathan in Portimao and he was keen to do so.

“He is familiar with the circuit, and with the test scheduled ahead of the race we can give him track time with the R1 WorldSBK ahead of the event.

“We must thank Yamaha Motor Racing and the MotoGP team for their support, and we are looking forward to welcoming Augusto to the team and to the WorldSBK paddock.”

Jonathan Rea underwent successful surgery on his left foot

The six-time WorldSBK champion announced on his social media that he underwent successful surgery.

The Northern Irishman flew home to Belfast last Wednesday for the surgery despite an initial delay due to swelling as a result of his crash.

“I would like to thank Dr Michael McMullan and his team at the Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast for the urgency and care to deal with my foot injury,” Rea said.

“After reviewing the scans from my crash in Australia we made the decision to fly home directly and perform surgery to stabilise and fix the injuries in my foot.

“The surgery was successful and I will continue my recovery at home with my medical team.

“I want to thank my team, my family and of course all my fans who have been sending me positive messages during these difficult days.”

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Yamaha team boss Paul Denning has revealed there is “no chance” of Jonathan Rea returning at the Portimao WorldSBK round after he suffered a test crash.

Rea crashed at the Southern Loop (Turn 2) during the first Free Practice session earlier in the week.

The Ulsterman sustained multiple fractures when the bike landed on his left foot, resulting in the Yamaha rider being sent home.

The six-time WorldSBK champion could not receive immediate surgery on the fractures due to massive swelling.

Rea’s projected timeline remains unclear, but Yamaha has indicated that a return at the second round in Portimao is out of the question.

As a result, the earliest opportunity for the Northern Irishman to kick off his season would be at the Assen round from April 11th-13th, a track where he has won 17 times.

“I think sad is the word, just sad to be away from the team, away from the bike, and particularly as he was starting to do so well and the flow was coming,” said Denning to WorldSBK.com.

“He’s super disappointed but he’s back home. He’s seen a surgeon, and the next course of action will be… I don’t want to share anything that’s medically his private information, but he’s on it and doing everything he can to be ready as soon as he possibly can.

“Jonathan, all things being equal as we know today, unfortunately has no chance of testing or racing at Portimao, in mid and end of March are the two dates which are just too early for the complexity of the injury to heal, so we’ll have two riders on track but who it will be is very much to be confirmed.”

Jonathan Rea left feeling ‘gutted’ after Phillip Island crash

“Honestly it was going so well, no issues, good plan, started fast – top four or five.

“I was working through it and was just about to put my first fresh set of tyres in for the last 20 minutes and on my first flying lap I just lost the rear, and it gripped, traction control picked it up abruptly and kicked me up, then I landed on the bike, and it threw me over, that was fine, I landed fine, but the bike was cartwheeling and landed right on my foot and did quite a bit of damage.

“They can’t operate right now as there is massive swelling, so I’m getting a few different opinions from different consultants, asking about surgery, not surgery, a timeframe, so I don’t know much right now.

“We made a small step forward on the bike. I’m just gutted, it doesn’t take much in racing to just keep that snowball effect rolling.

“We had a good winter test; it’s undone with that. I just have to take my medicine with this one and come back stronger.

“[It’s] day by day really, I don’t really have a target. It doesn’t take a surgeon to look through the CT scans to see the damage, a bit of hyperbaric chamber and recovery, but I’m gutted.”

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Jonathan Rea has been ruled out of the WorldSBK season opener at Phillip Island after suffering a crash during testing on Monday.

The Pata Maxus Yamaha rider crashed at the Southern Loop (Turn 2) during the morning Free Practice session, issuing red flags.

The six-time WorldSBK champion sustained multiple fractures to his left foot following checkups from the circuit medical centre and a nearby hospital on the Island.

Yamaha released a statement stating: “Jonathan Rea will miss the opening round of the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after a crash on the first day of testing at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

“Rea fell on the exit of Turn 2 in the closing stages of Monday’s first two-hour test session. He was taken to the circuit medical centre, before being transferred to Cowes for further assessment where it was confirmed he had sustained multiple fractures to the left foot.

“He will take no further part in testing or the upcoming race weekend.”

Yamaha rues Rea’s day as ‘bitterly disappointing’

“It wasn’t an easy day on Jonathan’s side and a bitterly disappointing day for him and his crew and for everybody in the Yamaha WorldSBK project,” Pata Maxus Yamaha Team Principal Paul Denning stated.

“We’ve had such a step over the winter with Jonathan and his confidence and comfort on the R1, and his ability to be consistent and smooth and get the best out of the bike.

“Everything was looking normal today, but Phillip Island has a habit of biting you quite hard sometimes.

“It’s a fast and very high grip circuit, but such a high grip circuit means when the grid releases… we’ve seen today many quite violent accidents, and Jonathan got unlucky with his left foot getting caught up in the bike and he’s broken some bones in the left foot.

“The next steps aren’t exactly clear, but the basic plan is to get back to the UK as quickly as possible and to have some surgery and start the recovery process.”

It is unclear whether the Ulsterman will be fit to return for the second round in Portimao, but Denning discussed that he’d rather not comment on giving a timeline yet.

“At this stage, it’s difficult to say. I’d prefer not to say. He’s seeing a specialist here on Wednesday before he goes home to get, let’s say, a full initial report and understanding of the injury.

“After we have that and after surgery is planned, let’s see, but Portimao is not so far away so I think it’s going to be a big challenge.”

READ MORE – Jonathan Rea considered WorldSBK retirement but wants to ‘right the wrongs’ in 2025

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Alex Rins pinpointed the Yamaha improvement he felt most comfortable with after completing the Buriram MotoGP test.

The Spaniard finished down in 17th in the combined classification test timesheets from the two days but felt much more comfortable aboard the M1 Yamaha.

He finished half a second behind his teammate Fabio Quartararo but slightly over a second adrift from Marc Marquez, who led both sessions.

Rins stated that the latest upgrades made to the Japanese marque have improved its performance under braking.

“These days in Sepang and Buriram went in a good way,” he said to Crash.net. “We tested many, many items. Most of them we are using right now so I can say that I improved my base bike.

“I’m able to ride more comfortably and make less mistakes than last year. So I’m happy. I feel quite ready to start the season.”

“For me, the biggest improvement on the bike is in the braking area. I feel more comfortable. I can stop the bike in a better way. Still, as I said, in time attack mode it’s a little bit difficult to put the bike in [to the corners].

“But in respect to last year when I was really struggling in the straight braking area, with rear lift, we improved this.

“In terms of acceleration, by improving the braking area, I’m able to stop better the bike. So then I’m on a better line and I can pick up the bike better [on the exit].”

Rins shared an M1 flaw from Thai MotoGP test

Despite these notable improvements, he reflected that he was unable to extract the maximum out of the bike during the time attacks.

“For sure we need to keep working on the fast lap. Still I’m a little bit far in this sense. I couldn’t go below the ‘30s. So let’s see if in GP weekend we can find something because in terms of pace, we are on a good way.”

While the 29-year-old feels more comfortable under braking, the M1 still isn’t quite on par with the speed of its rivals.

“Still it’s difficult to overtake people on the straight, on the slipstream,” he disclosed.

Yamaha can develop its engine due to its position in the concessions rankings, with the Japanese brand looking at the possibility of developing a V4 engine.

Ducati, Aprilia, and KTM are required to freeze their engine construction ahead of the new 2027 regulations.

READ MORE – Fabio Quartararo admits cause of ‘really strange’ Buriram MotoGP test

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Fabio Quartararo admits Yamaha had a “really strange day” in its first outing at the Buriram MotoGP test in Thailand.

The Iwata-based factory came into the test full of confidence following a successful week in Sepang where Quartararo consistently ran inside the top five.

However, the factory pairing were unable to break into the top ten in Thailand, with Alex Rins 12th and Quartararo 13th after the opening day.

The French rider admitted after the day’s action that struggles with the front tyres were preventing him to be faster.

“Today was a really strange day for us,” Quartararo said via Crash.net, “especially because it’s one of the first times of my career that I didn’t like any tyres on the front.

“So, I was struggling a lot today to ride and to be fast.

“Let’s see tomorrow if the track improves and I can really ride like I want because today we tried many things but also I was not riding well.

“So, hopefully tomorrow we can find a tyre or a setting with this tyre that can adapt to us.”

While Quartararo and Yamaha have not yet identified what caused his lack of front end confidence, the French rider believes it’s a problem with the tyres rather than the YZR-M1.

“Always when there is two tyres, it happens that you don’t like one and you like the other,” he said.

“But to not like both of them it’s the first time that it happens to me. I don’t know why, hopefully tomorrow it will change.”

Quartararo to put M1 ‘under pressure’ for remainder of Buriram test

Quartararo suggested his Yamaha machine had more stability than in the past, but conceded this came from the lack of confidence with the front tyre.

The French rider said that he will test the limits and put the bike “under pressure” in the second day of the test.

“The bike is a little bit more stable, but especially because I’m not able to brake super-hard with the front,” he said.

“Last year I could put the bike much more on the limit, so I think tomorrow the bike will shake again because I will try to push the limit [in case] the same thing happens with the tyres on the race.

“So, tomorrow morning we will really try to put the bike under pressure.”

Quartararo also confirmed that Yamaha has made positive progress with its straight line speed after riding behind Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez.

“I spent one lap behind Alex Marquez, but it’s difficult to see if he has an 18-lap-old tyre and you have a five-lap-old tyre, so it’s really difficult to compare, but I think on the straight we improve quite a lot,” he said.

“Tomorrow we will try to make a bit more different strategies on the electronics for the start and hopefully we can improve a bit.

“Today I think we made some different things that could have worked but at least for us it doesn’t work.”

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Fabio Quartararo showed visible delight after the three-day MotoGP test in Sepang where he posted his best lap around the Malaysian circuit.

The 2021 champion finished at the top of the timesheets on Day 1 and in the top three across the three days.

The Frenchman showed his delight at the progress made to the Yamaha over the winter but didn’t get complacent.

“Very happy,” Quartararo reflected after the three days to Crash.net.

“My fastest lap was qualifying last year was a 1:57.5, so I think the gap is more than 0.8 seconds.

“I was saying that from 2019 to 2024 we improve 0.6 seconds, and from 2024 to 2025 0.8 seconds. Of course, we can be happy.

“We need to stay calm, it’s only the test, but I think it’s quite good.

“Last year in the test Pecco [Francesco Bagnaia] made a 1:56.6 or 1:56.5, and this is more or less the lap time that they did this year, so I think we can be pretty happy.”

Quartararo reveals Yamaha improvements from 2024 season

The 25-year-old revealed the areas that the Japanese marque improved on from its 2024 season, but there is a notable improvement in lap times.

“It looks similar but it’s not the same,” he said of the 2025 M1.

“Basically, it’s many electronics that have changed, the way I ride – we have new things on the bike.

“Of course it’s difficult to see what’s new, but lap-time-wise we can see that we were much quicker than last year.”

“We improved a lot our feeling going into the corners, on change of direction also.”

Despite these notable improvements, Quartararo and Yamaha gained a clear picture of the issues that remained ever-present on the M1.

“But our weak point is grip. Today the track was really grippy, you can see it’s black from rubber. I will not say our lap time is fake because last year it was the same and we were one second from P1 – now we are 0.3 seconds [away].

“I’m looking forward to seeing when the track will be really low grip conditions; this is the worst conditions for us.”

Yamaha to Ducati gap is ‘closer’ – Quartararo

Quartararo suggested that the gap between Yamaha and Ducati was “closer” following the three days of action.

He was the only rider not in Ducati colours to post a lap time in the 1.56s barrier, highlighting the drastic improvement made compared to the team’s situation 12 months ago.

“I think that every year, especially from 2022–2024, we make one step, but Ducati and the others make two or three,” he said.

“I think this year we have reached to make much more steps. I think it’s a different riding style from 2019 or 2021, but I feel the bike is fast, so the riding style is slightly different from the past but I think it’s the first year that we managed to close the gap.

“In the past, we just improved but the others improved; or we improved but the others even more. Now I think that the gap is closer.

READ MORE – 2025 Sepang MotoGP test rundown

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The 2025 MotoGP season is set to be an important campaign for Yamaha as it looks to get back on track following three years of struggle.

Boasting arguably two of the most talented riders on the grid, Yamaha is a team that desperately needs to develop following its first podiumless season in grand prix racing since 2003. While the results were disappointing in 2024, there were signs towards the end of the campaign that improvements were being made.

Fabio Quartararo is still undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in MotoGP, but the last two seasons have seen him overriding a bike that often doesn’t belong inside the top ten of races. Though there were fueling miscalculations which cost the Frenchman two chances of making the top five, he has regularly been performing at a level which proves why he is so highly rated within the sport.

On the other side of the garage, Alex Rins will be hoping to improve on a lacklustre first season with the factory Yamaha squad. Rins elected to have surgery in the off-season to help nurse a leg injury he sustained before joining the team and if the Spanish rider can return to full fitness, it would help them progress further towards the front of the field.

Rins remains the last rider to win a race for a Japanese manufacturer following his 2023 USGP victory and if the M1 improves, it is likely both riders would be capable of challenging for podiums.

Can Quartararo fight at the front again?

One of the notable absences in the fight at the front of the grid has been the 2021 World Champion Quartararo, as the Yamaha has been nowhere near the level of Ducati, KTM and Aprilia since the latter half of 2022.

In the seasons which have followed his world championship, Quartararo has had moments of brilliance but has also failed to replicate the form he showed in 2021 as the M1 continued on a steady decline.

2024 saw the lowest point of Yamaha’s struggles, as the manufacturer went a full season without scoring a podium for just the second time in the MotoGP era. However, towards the end of the year there were positive signs for both Quartararo and Rins, as points were regularly on the table from the Misano rounds onwards and both riders managed to place inside the top ten in Sepang.

Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, who challenged the Nice native for the 2021 and 2022 titles, believes Quartararo could be fighting for podiums in the new season should Yamaha continue improving.

The sentiment isn’t yet echoed by the French rider, who says that the progress is more on a “step by step” basis, but he admitted by the end of 2024 he felt the bike was getting faster.

“Step by step, we will come back,” Quartararo said following the Barcelona test, “Of course I want it to happen tomorrow, but it takes time and the project is getting better.”

“I feel a bit faster. Closer, I don’t know. During a test day, it’s quite difficult to really analyse well, but in terms of position, we are a bit better even if it’s just a test.

“But we will see from the last day in Thailand where is really our realistic position.”

Quartararo also insisted he is “enjoying” the M1 again following a strong end to the 2024 season.

“I don’t even take it like work,” he said. “I’m enjoying the bike. I start to really enjoy the bike because I can push the limits.

“But we have a clear goal to come back [to the top] and whatever we can do to be back as soon as possible, we will do it.”

Will Yamaha introduce the V4 engine in 2025?

There has been much speculation as to when Yamaha will introduce the V4 engine, which it has been testing rigorously for the last few seasons.

Yamaha has been the only manufacturer running with the Inline4 engines since Suzuki’s withdrawal from the championship in 2022, but has decided to change directions in recent years with the development of the V4.

Rins revealed that the debut of the new engine was closer than expected, as Yamaha wanted to give the engine its first run out in its test at Jerez but was ultimately unable to do so.

“The idea was to test it at the KTM test in Jerez, but in the end, it wasn’t ready and couldn’t be tested,” the Spaniard revealed during an interview for the Por Orejas podcast.

The post What to expect from Yamaha in the 2025 MotoGP season appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Fabio Quartararo has high ambitions for himself and Yamaha ahead of the upcoming 2025 MotoGP season.

The 2021 champion endured the worst season of his premier-class career after failing to feature on the rostrum once throughout 2024.

The Frenchman opted to sign a two-year extension with the team in 2024 after the Japanese marque showed him its blueprint for the upcoming seasons.

Quartararo disclosed he feels “ready” for the upcoming season, stating Yamaha needs to “reach for more” in its bid to be competitive once again.

“I’m feeling ready. I mean we have to make a step compared to last year of course. But we haven’t even start the season, we haven’t start testing. So, let’s see how well Yamaha has worked during the winter,” he said at the livery launch.

“I’ve been training non-stop so I’m at a good level. I think I’m fitter than ever and I’m looking forward to starting pre-season testing.

“I think it must be the starting point of this year. We finished [2024] in a really good way, being always all the time in the Q2, trying to fight for this top seven, top eight, that was the goal at the end of the season.

“I think we have to reach for more during the season. Let’s see how we start and then we can set our goals a little bit better.”

Fabio Quartararo perceives Pramac as a ‘joint factory team’

Part of Yamaha’s blueprint came to light when it formed a partnership with Pramac Racing.

Yamaha will now field four bikes for the first time since the 2022 season, with Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira joining and bringing extensive experience and knowledge.

The 25-year-old shared that this partnership provides him with additional motivation as Yamaha doubles its expertise on the grid.

“I think it’s great because being with Yamaha, Pramac in the same area of developing our bike,” he said to MotoGP at the livery unveiling.

“Doing the team presentation together means that we are a joint factory team – even if we have different colours. This is very good for the further development of our bike.

“This time the first test is even more exciting for us because Yamaha is about to start a major project with Pramac. Working together during pre-season testing makes me even more motivated.”

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