Fabio Quartararo, one of the most exciting young riders in the MotoGP paddock, has declared that Yamaha has taken a “massive step” forward with its 2023 bike after topping the time sheets on the final day of pre-season testing.
Quartararo, who finished second in the 2021 championship, struggled with the Yamaha M1 last season, finishing sixth overall. However, he seems to have found a newfound confidence with the 2023 machine, which he described as “a lot better than last year's bike.”
On the final day of testing, Quartararo set a blistering time of 1m54.489s, beating his nearest rival by almost four-tenths of a second. The Frenchman was thrilled with his performance and praised the improvements made by Yamaha over the off-season.
“We’ve made a massive step with the bike, it’s unbelievable,” Quartararo said. “We had a lot of work to do, and we’ve done it. I'm so happy with the work we've done with the bike, and with the team as well.”
Quartararo credited Yamaha’s engineers for addressing the issues that plagued the team last season, particularly with the bike’s acceleration and braking. He said that the new M1 was much more consistent and easier to ride, allowing him to push harder and extract more performance from the bike.
“The bike is much more stable now, and I can attack the corners with more confidence,” Quartararo said. “The acceleration and braking are also much better, which is so important in MotoGP. I feel like I can push more, and the bike responds well.”
Despite his strong showing in testing, Quartararo was cautious about his chances for the season, acknowledging that there are still many unknowns heading into the first race in Qatar.
“It’s only testing, and we don’t know what our competitors have been doing,” Quartararo said. “We have to keep working hard and stay focused, and hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the first race.”
With Quartararo and his teammate Maverick Vinales both showing promising form in testing, Yamaha could be a serious contender for the championship this year. However, as Quartararo noted, there are still many challenges ahead, and the team will need to continue improving if they want to claim the title.
The 2023 MotoGP season kicks off on March 26th in Qatar, and fans around the world will be eagerly anticipating the start of what promises to be an exciting and unpredictable season.