What can we expect from Fabio Quartararo in Jerez?

fabio quartararo and the Jerez-Ángel Nieto circuit have a tumultuous love affair. After establishing himself there as the master of the circuit at the beginning of his career in MotoGPHe also experienced some setbacks there. Last year, however, he enjoyed his best period of success in recent years, riding a Yamaha that was in decline.

After securing pole position for the race, he confirmed his form on Sunday. Taking advantage of Marc Márquez's crash, who was leading at the time, he secured second place and returned to the MotoGP podium for the first time since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix.

However, in 2026, Fabio Quartararo is experiencing an even more difficult start to the season than last year. Yamaha's performance deficit is exacerbated by a lack of understanding of the new M1, centered around a V4 engine after the abandonment of the inline-four. On the sidelines of the Spanish Grand Prix, and with a new machine at his disposal, what can we expect from Fabio Quartararo at Jerez?

Quartararo in Jerez: I love you, I don't love you

On June 4, 2019, Fabio Quartararo set a time of 1:36.880 around the Jerez circuit during the Spanish Grand Prix. Ahead of Franco Morbidelli once the allotted time expired, the Frenchman secured his first MotoGP pole position at just 20 years and 14 days old. He thus dethroned Marc Márquez to become the youngest pole-sitter in MotoGP history.

His winning streak didn't end there. The following year, he secured pole positions in both editions, which were held consecutively due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was there that he reached a new milestone in his career, converting his pole position into two victories in the premier class. In 2021, he again qualified the M1 from pole position, for the fourth consecutive time.

But the dream didn't continue. More difficult years followed. After a second-place finish in 2022, the next two editions saw him finish well outside the top five. In 2023, he qualified 16th (his worst result at the time) before crashing at Turn 2, taking Miguel Oliveira down with him and causing a red flag. The incident resulted in a long lap penalty, which saw him finish in 10th place.

The 2024 Spanish Grand Prix was no more encouraging. On the circuit where he had performed best on Saturday, Fabio Quartararo once again qualified at the back of the pack. Starting 23rd on the grid, the ordeal of the previous year was repeated, as he endured the worst qualifying session of his MotoGP career.

The race scheduled for 2025, however, came as a real relief in what had been a difficult start to the season. On Saturday, Fabio Quartararo caused a major upset by ending Marc Márquez's dominance in qualifying. Previously undefeated on the Ducati Desmosedici GP25, the Spaniard was relegated to second place after the unexpected qualifying lap of number 20 on a modest Yamaha.

He then secured his first pole position since the 2022 Indonesian Grand Prix, and set a new circuit record of 1:35.610. Despite a crash in the Sprint race, he achieved an excellent second place in the Grand Prix, and reached the podium for the first time since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix. While this podium remained his only one of the season, his pole position kick-started a run of three consecutive victories, with Le Mans (France) and Silverstone (Great Britain).

What can we expect in 2026?

Fabio Quartararo's results, however variable they may have been, were largely due to the track's characteristics, which were ideally suited to the older Yamaha. Better in handling than in engine power, the YZR-M1 was right at home on the Jerez-Ángel Nieto circuit.

The longest straight on the track measures only 607 meters. Top speeds therefore don't exceed 300 km/h. This is far from the 350 km/h reached at the end of the straights at the Losail circuit (Qatar) or Mugello (Italy). Under these conditions, it's reasonable to say that the Frenchman has everything he needs to repeat his feat from last season.

However, turning became a weak point for Yamaha in 2026 with the V4. All the Iwata riders complain about the lack of handling of a bike that is still too heavy, and there is no guarantee that Fabio Quartararo will be able to overcome this performance deficit in Spain, even on a small track where the series of fast corners does not require many changes of direction.

However, he proved in Brazil that on a similarly designed circuit, which somewhat masks the shortcomings of his machine, he is still capable of making a difference on a single lap. At Goiânia, a track largely unknown to most, he secured 4th place in qualifying before scoring valuable points in the Sprint. So, there's reason to remain hopeful…

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