Quartararo Rediscovers Yamaha Feeling at Le Mans

Fabio Quartararo says he has started to rediscover the feeling he had been missing with the new Yamaha after delivering a competitive performance in the French MotoGP sprint at Le Mans. The result represents an important step forward following a difficult opening phase of the 2026 season for Yamaha’s new V4 project.

The 2021 MotoGP world champion endured a frustrating Friday after finishing only 17th in Practice, forcing him to go through Q1. The situation became even more disappointing because teammate Alex Rins managed to secure direct progression into Q2.

However, Yamaha showed clear improvement on Saturday. Quartararo topped FP2 before advancing through qualifying to secure sixth on the grid. In the 13-lap sprint race, the French rider maintained strong consistency and finished fifth after successfully holding off pressure from Joan Mir.

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According to Quartararo, the level of performance came as a surprise considering Yamaha’s struggles throughout the early part of the 2026 campaign. He believes the return of confidence and feeling with the bike played a key role in his improved pace at Le Mans.

“Yeah, happy because yesterday was a really tough day. We did not expect to be fast, and this morning I was able to make a great pace and a great lap,” Quartararo told TNT Sports.

Despite the top-five finish, Quartararo admitted the race remained difficult when fighting in close traffic with other riders. Yamaha continues to struggle in direct battles and acceleration performance, particularly on corner exits.

“In the race, when riding with other riders, it was difficult. But I was able to stay consistent and the pace was not so bad. I had to push so much, but that is part of the job,” he added.

The French rider also believes Yamaha has finally started to recover some of the bike characteristics that appeared lost after introducing the new V4 engine concept. Adapting to the bike’s power delivery and rear grip behaviour has become one of Yamaha’s biggest technical challenges this season.

“I think today we found back a bit the feeling. So let’s see what we can achieve tomorrow in different conditions. We just have to enjoy it,” said Quartararo.

Quartararo previously admitted he was extremely disappointed after failing to secure a direct Q2 place on Friday because he felt the bike had more potential than the result suggested. However, Yamaha’s work throughout Saturday significantly transformed the direction of the weekend.

“Yesterday I was pretty disappointed because I knew we had something more, but we did not make it into Q2. Together with the team, we did a great job to get into Q2, start from the second row, and have a strong race.”

The sprint result now gives Yamaha a small boost of optimism after a difficult start to its V4 era. Quartararo hopes the progress can continue into Sunday’s grand prix, particularly if changing weather conditions at Le Mans create new strategic opportunities.