Official: Fabio Quartararo signs new Yamaha MotoGP contract

The expected agreement was officially announced on the eve of this weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP, which Quartararo will start with an eight-point title lead over Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia).

The young Frenchman has been a Yamaha rider since joining MotoGP with the satellite Petronas SRT squad in 2019, taking poles and podiums in year one, winning his first races and leading the championship in year two, then being promoted to the official team in place of Valentino Rossi for 2021.

But Quartararo is currently the only Yamaha rider in the top 18 in the world championship standings and no other M1 rider has featured on the podium since former team-mate Maverick Vinales was runner-up at Assen a year ago.

• 2023 MotoGP World Championship rider line-up so far

"I am really happy to announce to all of you that I will stay with Yamaha for two more years," Quartararo said.

"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.

"I want to say ’Thanks!‘ to the people around me, who always help me and support me, as well as to the fans who are cheering me on. I really do appreciate all the support."

With team-mate Franco Morbidelli in the first year of a two-year deal, Quartararo's contract means Monster Yamaha has completed its MotoGP rider line-up for 2023 (although no mention was made of the Italian in the Quartararo announcement). 

The pair are also set to be the only M1 riders on the grid next year, with RNF switching to Aprilia.

Jarvis: 'We have assured Fabio that Yamaha will invest'

"We brought Fabio into the Factory team last year knowing he is a special talent, but he even exceeded our expectations," said Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis.

"One doesn‘t often come across a rider of his calibre. He was already showing his talent and speed in his two years with the SRT satellite team in 2019 and 2020, but when he made the step up to the Factory team, we could really see him growing stronger and maturing as a rider. 

"In Fabio‘s first season and a half we‘ve booked many successes: 6 race wins, 14 podiums, 6 pole positions, and the 2021 MotoGP World Title. These results have come from a strong team effort from the rider, his crew, our engineers, and all team staff working together with a positive 'can-do' spirit."

While remaining with Yamaha was always the obvious choice for Quartararo, some doubts were raised due to the lack of technical progress made with this year's M1.

The Frenchman persistently labelled top speed as his number one priority for the new machine, but it appeared to fall on deaf ears and he was handed a bike that continues to lack around 10-12km/h on the straights.

As such Quartararo, who has one win and four podiums so far this season, wanted assurances from Yamaha before re-signing and Jarvis confirmed future investments will be made:

"With Fabio we know he will always put in 100% of his best effort, and we have assured him that Yamaha will do the same and we will invest in future developments so that together we can challenge for the MotoGP World Championship Titles for years to come."

CLICK HERE for the 2023 MotoGP rider line-up so far...