Fabio Quartararo will remain with Yamaha’s factory MotoGP outfit until at least 2024 after signing a two-year contract extension ahead of this weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix.
The reigning premier class World Champion was rumoured to be looking at other avenues for his future in the series following a tough opening part to his title-defending campaign after the Japanese manufacturer failed to bring any meaningful upgrades to his M1.
With the bike comfortably the least-powerful of the six prototypes that make up the 2022 field, Quartararo has been forced to ride at the limit in order to fight at the very front; the Frenchman currently leading the points standings by nine after eight events having won at Portimao while highly-rated team-mates Franco Morbidelli and Andrea Dovizioso are struggling to score points.
Quartararo has now pledged his immediate future to Yamaha, locking in a key player in the rider market for another few years.
“I am really happy to announce to all of you that I will stay with Yamaha for two more years,” said Quartararo.
“In the past, moving up to MotoGP with Yamaha and later to the Factory team were no-brainers.
“Yamaha believed in me from the very beginning, and that is something I do not take lightly. But that being said, this new agreement was a big decision. I’m at a great point in my career, so I took a bit more time taking this decision to be sure.
“I believe in the Yamaha MotoGP project, and I feel Yamaha are truly motivated. And now that we have officially confirmed our decision to continue on this path together, we can fully focus on the current season.”
Quartararo has notched all nine of his MotoGP victories on Yamaha machinery since making his premier class debut in 2019 with the Petronas SRT team.
His five 2021 successes helped him to wrap up a maiden grand prix riders’ championship with two rounds to spare.
