At a delicate moment for the championship, Fabio Quartararo has shared his perspective on the current situation of Francesco Bagnaia, who is facing a significant drop in performance while his teammate Marc Márquez easily secures victories.
Even though both riders have been world champions and will change teams next season, Quartararo believes their situations are totally different. The Frenchman, champion in 2021 with Yamaha, will leave the Japanese brand to lead the Honda project, while Bagnaia, who is leaving Ducati, has achieved two titles and 31 victories, is moving to Aprilia alongside his friend Marco Bezzecchi.
With eight races left before closing his chapter with Ducati, Bagnaia is currently ninth in the standings, with four consecutive podiums this season. In contrast, Quartararo sits in fifteenth place, accumulating less than half of Bagnaia’s points and without any podiums so far.
The last time Quartararo finished on the podium was last year in Jerez, and since then, he has had a challenging season. Despite being Yamaha’s best rider with 61 points, his results have created tensions between him and the brand.
Quartaro’s constant criticisms of the M1 motorcycle, both for the previous version and the new one, have added pressure to his relationship with Yamaha. Recently, he expressed his frustration at not being allowed to participate in the test scheduled for next Monday at the Red Bull Ring.
When asked about similarities between himself and Bagnaia, Quartararo was clear in his opinion: ‘There is nothing in common, because Marc is winning.’ He acknowledged that if he were the rider in a similar situation, he would be angry trying to understand why his performance is inferior compared to his teammate.
Looking towards the future, Quartararo anticipates a difficult weekend, especially if rain is forecasted. He regrets that under these conditions, the lack of grip on his bike would be even more evident.
With the aim of improving his results, Quartararo continues to work to face this challenging phase of the season with determination.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
