Fabio Quartararo, MotoGP Championship leader, confessed that his struggles with Yamaha in 2022 have made him “Not Enjoy Riding A Bike In The Race For A Long Time.”
Quartararo experienced a very arduous second half of the 2022 MotoGP season on the insufficiently powered Yamaha package.
With his overtaking difficulties, Quartaro could not underestimate the damage to Silverstone's long penalties - which took him to eighth place, while finishing only fifth at Misano last weekend and eighth last weekend at Motegi, while crashing on the first lap at Aragon.
With only one podium in the last six races, Quartaro's lead in the championship was just 10 points before Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia crash in Japan, and a tough 16th place for Alix Espargaro allowed the Frenchman to extend his lead to 18.
Admitting his MotoGP race was "disappointing" as he couldn't pass anyone, Quartaro revealed he doesn't fancy racing a Yamaha yet.
Quartararo said they have to think about the future, which is the next race, because we will not return to Japan until next year. He has not enjoyed riding a bike in a race for a long time. If you do not move out of the front row, you wave to your chances of winning.
This adds to Quartaro's comments earlier this summer that he didn't like riding the Yamaha in entry-level trim because the lap times weren't as easy for him as in previous years.
This is reflected in him having just one pole in 2022 and just four other top-tier appearances. Yamaha has been working hard in Japan to develop a more powerful bike for the 2023 season, which Quartararo tested after the San Marino GP in Misano.
Quartararo, developed with the help of former F1 engine chief Luca Marmorini as a consultant, praised the new engine, although he believes there is still a lot to do before it is ready to race.