No second chances! World Champion Quartararo gives troubled Yamaha an ultimatum, decision to be made during Misano test

The Japanese factories are not enjoying a happy period in MotoGP, which they dominated for decades, especially before the coronavirus pandemic. Yamaha’s performance in particular has taken a significant dip in just one year. Even 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo has been unable to regularly finish races in the top 10 this year, so it seems the Frenchman is slowly running out of patience with Yamaha. After another frustrating performance in the British GP, he admitted that if September’s test at Misano doesn’t convince him of his machine’s potential for next year, he will consider another future with the team.

Until recently, it was almost impossible for MotoGP championships to go to anyone other than Japanese teams and their riders. With one exception, from 1974 to the 2021 season, the overall triumphs have always come from the riders of the three factories – Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha.

It is Yamaha for whom Fabio Quartararo won his last drivers’ title the year before last. As late as the halfway point of last year, the Frenchman still held a healthy lead at the top of the championship and went on to defend his title. He eventually lost that title to Francesco Bagnaio and Ducati due to the deficit of his machine to Ducati’s in terms of top speed.

Just one podium finish out of nine attempts this year is absolutely inconsistent with the results of Yamaha and its French talent over the same period a year ago. Quartararo now sits 11th overall, just ahead of his teammate Franco Morbidelli, who will leave Yamaha at the end of this season.

Logically, the Nice native is not enjoying the current situation he and his team find themselves in twice. He confessed to motorsport.com during the last grand prix on the British soil of Silverstone that his cup of patience with Yamaha is starting to overflow. He also singled out the official September test at Misano and the machine test for next year as the experience by which he will decide what to do next.

“Next month at Misano I want proof. Yamaha has been promising me things for three years now, and for the most part they have not been fulfilled at all,” Quartararo mentioned Yamaha’s unfulfilled commitments so far.

Afterwards, the Frenchman explained that only the machine he will test will confirm his expectations: “What I want to see is the machine I will test at Misano. It will be 95% the one I will ride next year. Then we’ll see if Yamaha really wants me in the future.”

Despite his frustration with the results in recent months, Quartararo remains confident in Yamaha. After Misano, however, it must no longer be about mere promises. “Yamaha is still a priority for me. It was this brand that brought me to MotoGP. I trust Yamaha, I gave it a chance, but there will be no second chance.”

Quartara’s contract with Yamaha runs until the end of next season. There are no longer many vacancies across the teams for the upcoming season. So the Frenchman has to make a careful decision if he wants to take a chance on a new challenge, or remain confident that Yamaha can climb back to the top soon enough.

Source: motorsport.com