Fabio Quartararo celebrates his 27th birthday: The making of a champion

2021 World Champion MotoGP, fabio quartararo Fabio Quartararo celebrates his 27th birthday on Monday, April 20th. The perfect opportunity to look back at an extraordinary journey that began… on a scooter. A very short chapter in his life, because, gifted with an incredible sense of balance, young Fabio Quartararo quickly climbed onto a motorcycle under the watchful eyes of his parents, Martine and Etienne. A self-taught rider, he quickly made a name for himself. A phenomenon was born, and his talent did not go unnoticed by seasoned racers.

Too young to race in France, his parents traveled hundreds of kilometers to give their son the opportunity to pursue his passion in Spain under the guidance of motorcycle racer Adrien Morillas. Through these connections, Fabio Quartararo met Eduardo Martin, a passionate Spanish entrepreneur. Martin became his patron and provided the young talent with entry to the Spanish Moto3 Championship. The youngest Moto3 champion in the history of the Spanish Speed ​​Championship (CEV) in 2013, the Nice native was already being courted by several teams, even before he could join the Grand Prix races, as he was not yet 16 years old, a requirement at the time.

Fabio Quartararo joins the world championship

Two years later, he made his Moto3 debut, joining the big leagues under the best possible circumstances. On the podium in only his second race in Austin, and sixth in Argentina, Quartararo secured his first pole position at Jerez, a Grand Prix where he battled for the win until the very end before ultimately finishing fourth. Despite a podium finish in the Netherlands, the rest of his season became more complicated. The rider from Nice was injured and under pressure. The split with his long-time manager occurred in 2016, a direct consequence of a strategic decision by the Leopard team that, in hindsight, proved detrimental.

The following season, Fabio Quartararo moved up to Moto2 with Pons HP40, a category better suited to his size. He secured his first victory in Catalonia in 2018, after joining Speed ​​Up, a team with a family atmosphere, a valued by Quartararo. At Assen, the rider from Nice followed up with a spectacular comeback that piqued the interest of a team forming in the premier class: Yamaha Petronas SRT.

The MotoGP debut

This is how his MotoGP adventure began. The feeling was good, the start promising, marked by six pole positions and seven podium finishes in 2019. An impressive rookie season, unprecedented for a newcomer since Marc Márquez's arrival in 2013. He would nevertheless have to wait before securing his first victory in the premier class. In fact, it wasn't one but two consecutive wins that Fabio Quartararo achieved at the Jerez circuit in 2020, where two races were held due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest of the season, however, was too inconsistent, and the number 20 finished eighth in the championship, but the ultimate prize was just around the corner.

In 2021, he succeeded Valentino Rossi within the official team. Riding the factory Yamaha M1, he won 5 of the 18 races and prevailed over Pecco Bagnaia to become the first French MotoGP world champion in history. The following year, he came close to a repeat victory but missed the title by 17 points to the Italian, whose Ducati was now much more competitive.

Since then, the partnership with Yamaha has become more difficult. Tenth in 2023, thirteenth in 2024, and then ninth in 2025, Fabio Quartararo makes no secret of his frustration with an M1 lacking pace. Yet, the Frenchman still manages to produce moments of brilliance, securing no fewer than five pole positions in 2025 and an unexpected podium finish at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. His perseverance could have resulted in a victory at Silverstone, if a technical issue hadn't intervened.

In 2026, rumors circulated about a move to Honda, as Fabio Quartararo was reportedly dissatisfied with his current machine. Having previously placed emotion at the heart of his performance, Quartararo has faced a harsher reality since Lin Jarvis' departure at the end of 2024, struggling to find his footing under Paolo Pavesio with a bike increasingly lagging behind the competition.

Barely having blown out the candles on his twenty-seventh birthday, Fabio Quartararo is back on the curves of Jerez, a circuit whose every secret he knows. "El Diablo" will have to unleash his pure talent on this favorite track to reverse the trend and restore his reputation.

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