Fabio Quartararo voiced serious concerns after a disappointing Aragon MotoGP weekend on June 8, 2025, where persistent rear grip issues with the YZR-M1 plagued his performance. Despite earlier progress with three consecutive pole positions at Jerez, Le Mans, and Silverstone, Quartararo crashed in the Aragon main race and finished 11th in the Sprint. With Mugello looming, can Yamaha find solutions or continue to trail Ducati?
Quartararo entered Aragon with high hopes after nearly winning at Silverstone, where a ride height device failure cost him victory. However, at Aragon, the M1’s rear grip issues resurfaced during Friday practice. He finished 18th in FP1 and ninth in qualifying, nearly a second off Marc Marquez’s pole time. In the Sprint, he climbed to sixth before dropping to 11th due to “dangerous” rear wheel vibrations. In the main race, he crashed at Turn 5, compounding his frustration.
“We lost grip completely; the bike was barely rideable,” Quartararo said, highlighting a recurring issue that has haunted Yamaha all season.
Yamaha team manager Massimo Meregalli admitted rear grip as the primary weakness, especially on low-grip tracks like Aragon.
“We don’t understand why the soft tire causes such big problems,” Meregalli said.
Teammate Alex Rins also struggled, finishing 15th in FP1 and 12th in the Sprint. Yamaha tested multiple setups, but tire changes disrupted electronics, causing the bike to “behave strangely.” Despite introducing an upgraded engine and chassis this season, Yamaha’s top speed lagged 6 mph behind Brad Binder’s KTM, exacerbating their Aragon struggles.
Quartararo sits seventh in the standings with 56 points, far behind Marc Marquez, who leads by 32 points over Alex Marquez. Ducati’s dominance in Aragon, with Marc, Alex, and Francesco Bagnaia sweeping the podium, underscored the gap to Yamaha. Quartararo’s failure to convert poles into wins—at Le Mans and Silverstone—shows that single-lap pace isn’t enough. Mugello, a fast circuit demanding acceleration, raises fears that Yamaha will struggle again without resolving rear grip issues.
Quartararo, loyal to Yamaha despite no wins since 2022, is questioning his future. He urged Yamaha to aggressively test new components before the summer break, emphasizing the need for a new V4 engine by 2026. “If this project doesn’t work, I’ll look for a team ready to win,” he warned. Meanwhile, Toprak Razgatlioglu, joining Pramac Yamaha in 2026, is guaranteed identical equipment to Quartararo, adding pressure on the team. Speculation about Jorge Martin’s move to Honda and Franco Morbidelli’s strong form with VR46 Ducati heats up the rider market.
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