Fabio Quartararo, clear-headed after the Jerez tests: "There's still a huge amount of work to do."

The Spanish Grand Prix of MotoGP confirmed Yamaha's structural difficulties. Fourteenth at the finish of the Grand Prix, fabio quartararo has been far behind the leaders, continuing a difficult start to the 2026 season. In this context, Monday's Test Day on April 27th provided only partial insights.

“We tried a lot of things: the chassis, the swingarm, the electronics, the aerodynamics. We didn’t find much because we had already tested the chassis during testing. We use the aerodynamics quite often. It seems we’ve found a bit of feel at the front, not really performance, but a feeling that will help us. But there’s still a huge amount of work to do.”

The improvement remained marginal and did not change the established order in the race, even though the Yamaha rider ultimately qualified seventh in the second session of the day with a time of 1:36.439. While he was 495 seconds behind Ai Ogura (Trackhouse), the fastest rider of the day, he was also nearly a second off the track record he set last year in Q2 (1:35.610) on a day when the overall pace of the field was rather slow. The second-best Yamaha was in 17th position with Jack Miller on the Pramac with a time of 1:37.008 (+1.059), while Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was relegated to 21st position (1:37.490), just ahead of Alex Rins with a time of 1:37.541.

Trials without an immediate solution

The Nice native specifies the avenues explored on the front axle, one of the many weak points identified on the V4 this year. "I've tested a lot of them, so I think the last one I used was the most positive. We'll see what the team brings to the table." Le Mans"But for me, it's a great help when I start to feel the forward momentum, even if the potential is there. I need to feel where the limit is." A sentiment shared in the paddock: "It's natural. I've been saying since last September that we're lacking feel at the front, so I think it's a natural observation from all of us." The work undertaken aims primarily to restore confidence in braking.

The work also focused on electronics, without leading to a clear direction. “We’re trying a lot of things, as I said, with the electronics, engine braking, and traction. But I think we’ve mainly found something at the front. In the electronics, there’s still a lot of work to do because we tested something that, in theory, should have caused us to lose performance, but I felt better. So there are still things to understand.”

Le Mans without illusions

In the short term, Quartararo is not optimistic about his home Grand Prix. "I think it will be a little better, but I wouldn't say I'm optimistic. I don't think we've found anything major. It's a small detail that can help me with my driving, but frankly, we haven't found anything really important." The Frenchman remains focused on maximizing the use of his current package, without expecting an immediate break.

The question of medium-term development also remains open. "It's a difficult situation because, of course, I want to improve the bike, but for this year. Next year is another story. So I'm going to push this bike to the limit because I want to be competitive until the end of the year, and then 2027 is another story." Behind this discourse, a reading emerges: the short-term involvement contrasts with a more vague projection beyond 2026.

In this context, his comments about Le Mans take on a particular tone. "Honestly, Le Mans will be more of a race to try and entertain the fans rather than to enjoy myself on the bike." Beyond his sporting performance, the Frenchman's state of mind is also fueling questions about his future. Without official confirmation, the signals he's sent and the rumors circulating in the paddock are converging on an increasingly credible hypothesis: that he will leave Yamaha next year, as the gap between his ambitions and the current project seems difficult to bridge.

ALSO READ > Fabio Quartararo salvages the situation in Jerez: "In dry conditions, we would have finished outside the Top 10"