MotoGP – Fabio Quartararo, already among the best Yamaha riders

With four successes since the opening of the season, fabio quartararo already has one more than last year. If hearing the Marseillaise begins to become a habit, the French rider is establishing himself as one of the best Yamaha representatives in the premier category.

Already in front of Giacomo Agostini

The very first victory by a Yamaha rider in the category dates back to the 1972 Spanish GP at Montjuïc with Chas Mortimer. Since then, there have been 30 other different winners under the colors of Iwata's company. At the top of the hierarchy is Valentino Rossi who has recorded 56 successes since his first season in the ranks of the Japanese factory in 2004.

Behind the Italian, who has won the crown four times at Yamaha, are Jorge Lorenzo (44 victories), Eddie Lawson (26), Wayne Rainey (24) and Kenny Roberts (22); each of them counting three titles aboard a Yamaha.

A little further, there is Max Biaggi who is in sixth place with eight successes, tied with Maverick Viñales, ahead of... Fabio Quartararo who, with his seven victories, has just surpassed Giacomo Agostini, 15 times Champion of the World, in the ranking.

After 1 week holidays I'm already missing it… and still more than 1 month to wait 🤦🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/E6CyyFz7Kk

- Fabio Quartararo (@ FabioQ20) July 4, 2021

In terms of podiums, we find practically the same ones prancing in the lead with Rossi (142) ahead of Lorenzo (107), Rainey (64), Lawson (62) and Roberts (39). Biaggi is still sixth with 28 Top 3s followed by Viñales who has finished in the top three 24 times at Yamaha, placing second at Assen two weeks ago. With 16 podiums on the clock, Quartararo is only one behind Norick Abe and two behind his compatriot Christian Sarron to enter the top ten in the standings.

Regarding pole positions, Quartararo already has 15 at Yamaha, just like Lawson and Rainey. Only Lorenzo (39), Rossi (35), Roberts (18) and Biaggi (17) have so far done better than the young Frenchman (since 1974, the year since the poles have been officially recorded).

Finally, Quartararo's rise does not stop there. If we consider the laps completed when crossing the line since the advent of MotoGP in 2002, Yamaha riders totaled 3161 and the Frenchman already occupied third place with 213 laps behind Lorenzo (1301) and Rossi (1096). But above all, in just over two years at Yamaha, he is ahead of his teammate Viñales and his 165 loops in the lead.