Fabio Quartararo recently gained valuable insights from Lewis Hamilton during his visit to the F1 paddock at the Barcelona Grand Prix in June, an experience he believes will improve his approach with Yamaha in MotoGP. By observing Hamilton and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, Quartararo has adopted new methods aimed at enhancing his team’s communication and race performance.
How Quartararo’s Encounter with Hamilton Influenced His Team Approach
During his time at the F1 event, Quartararo was granted access to team radio communications and post-race debriefs involving Hamilton and Leclerc, which revealed the depth of technical detail involved in their operations. This exposure encouraged him to rethink how Yamaha organizes its internal discussions.
“It was interesting to see what Lewis and Charles are talking about with the engineers and that there are a lot of details involved,”
Quartararo told Speedweek.
“I took a lot of positives with me.”
After returning to his team, Quartararo emphasized the need for more structured and detail-oriented meetings, shifting from informal garage conversations to sessions held in a dedicated meeting room equipped with visual aids. This change aims to deepen the team’s understanding, especially regarding tire performance, which is key to race strategy.
“After Barcelona, I had a meeting with my team,”
he explained.
“I need more information, especially so that I can understand the tyres better. We’re trying to hold other meetings, we’ve changed our approach a bit since then and I think we’re improving.”
“It’s about more details. Of course, we can’t change everything from 0 to 100, but step by step we can adjust it so that we get more information.”
Yamaha’s Progress and the Challenges Ahead
Yamaha has made significant improvements in qualifying sessions this season, highlighted by Quartararo securing his fourth consecutive pole position at Assen. However, despite his strong qualifying pace, the team continues to face difficulties maintaining speed throughout the race, particularly due to the bike’s relative lack of power compared to its rivals.
In response, Yamaha is developing a new V4 engine that could mark a turning point in their competitiveness. Meanwhile, Quartararo, as the highest-paid rider in the MotoGP paddock, has applied pressure on his manufacturer to deliver results, clearly signaling that his future depends on obtaining a winning motorcycle.
Much like Hamilton at Ferrari, Quartararo is recognized as a top contender in his sport who is now focused on returning Yamaha to championship-winning form through a refined and detail-driven team approach.
