Fabio Quartararo Bio
Fabio Alain Quartararo (born 20 April 1999) is a French Grand Prix motorcycle rider who competes in MotoGP for the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team. Known by the nickname El Diablo, he is best known for winning the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, becoming the first French rider ever to capture the premier class title. Quartararo currently carries car number 20 and resides in Andorra, where many MotoGP professionals are based.
Early Life and Background
Quartararo was born in Nice, France, into a family of Sicilian origin. His father, Étienne, was a motorcycle racer who had won the 1983 French 125cc Championship and competed in the 250cc class of the 1986 French motorcycle Grand Prix. Growing up around bikes and racing gave Quartararo an early familiarity with the sport, and his father’s experience helped shape his path into competition.
Quartararo started racing at the age of 4, beginning his journey on small machines in his native France. He later moved to Spain to compete in the Promovelocidad Cup, a youth series organized by the Real Automóvil Club de Cataluña (RACC). In that series, he won the 50cc class in 2008, the 70cc class in 2009, and the 80cc class in 2011, building a reputation as a standout young talent.
Path to NASCAR
Quartararo does not compete in NASCAR and has built his career exclusively in motorcycle Grand Prix racing. His pathway led through Spanish junior championships and into the FIM CEV Repsol series, where he became the youngest champion in the history of the CEV Moto3 class. He then graduated to the Moto3 World Championship, Moto2, and finally MotoGP, the top tier of motorcycle road racing.
Fabio Quartararo Career
Early Career (2008-2012)
During his early years, Quartararo dominated youth categories in Spain, winning multiple Promovelocidad Cup titles and establishing himself as one of Europe’s most promising young riders. He captured the Mediterranean pre-Moto3 class in 2012, which also served as the Spanish domestic championship. These results drew attention from international teams and the broader motorcycle racing community.
CEV Repsol Breakthrough (2013-2014)
Quartararo moved into the Moto3 class of the CEV Repsol series in 2013, joining Wild Wolf Racing and finishing on the podium in his maiden race. He won each of the final three races of the season from pole position, becoming the youngest CEV Moto3 champion at 14 years and 218 days. The following year, riding for the Estrella Galicia 0,0 junior team, he won nine of eleven races and claimed the title by 127 points.
Moto3 World Championship (2015-2016)
Quartararo entered the Moto3 World Championship in 2015 with the Estrella Galicia 0,0 team, taking his first podium at the Grand Prix of the Americas with a second-place finish. He scored pole positions at the Spanish and French Grands Prix, but a fractured right ankle at Misano ended his season prematurely. In 2016, he joined Leopard Racing, but the campaign fell short of expectations and he went pointless in six races.
Moto2 World Championship (2017-2018)
Quartararo moved to Moto2 in 2017 with Pons Racing, finishing the year 13th with 64 points. In 2018, racing for Speed Up Racing, he scored his first Grand Prix victory at the Catalan Grand Prix and added a second place at Assen, ending the season 10th overall with 138 points. The performances convinced Yamaha to bring him into the MotoGP paddock.
Petronas Yamaha SRT Era (2019-2020)
In August 2018, Quartararo was confirmed at the newly created Petronas Yamaha SRT for 2019, where he impressed immediately. He took pole positions at the Spanish, Catalan, Dutch, Thailand, Malaysian, and Valencian Grands Prix, setting the record for youngest ever polesitter in the MotoGP class. He finished the season 5th overall with 192 points, seven podiums, and six poles, earning Rookie of the Year honors.
The 2020 season began with back-to-back wins at Jerez, followed by a third victory at Catalunya. Despite a hip injury sustained at Aragon, Quartararo remained a regular front-runner. On 29 January 2020, Yamaha Factory Racing announced that he would replace Valentino Rossi starting in 2021, and he would receive factory-supported machinery for his final season at Petronas Yamaha SRT.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Era (2021-Present)
Quartararo moved to the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team in 2021 and delivered an immediate title. He opened with a win at the Doha Grand Prix, added victories at Portimao, Mugello, Assen, and Silverstone, and clinched the championship with two races to spare after rival Francesco Bagnaia crashed at Misano. He finished with five wins, ten podiums, and a 52-point margin at the top.
In 2022, Quartararo won three races before the summer break, including the Portuguese, Catalan, and German Grands Prix. He held a 91-point lead after Germany, but Francesco Bagnaia overturned the deficit to take the title, leaving Quartararo second with 248 points. On 2 June 2022, Quartararo signed a contract extension covering 2023 and 2024, and on 5 April 2024 he extended again through 2025 and 2026.
Driving Style and Strengths
Quartararo is known for his smooth riding style, late braking, and ability to extract strong qualifying laps. He has historically performed well on tracks that reward corner speed and front-end feel, including Assen, Silverstone, and Jerez, while working closely with his team on race strategy and tire management.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his first MotoGP win at Jerez in 2020, his title-clinching 2021 season, and his five consecutive pole positions in 2021, matching a feat last achieved by Marc Márquez in 2014. In 2022, he dedicated his Mugello win to the late Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier, and in 2025 he returned to the podium with a second place at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Fabio Quartararo Career Wins
Quartararo has accumulated victories across multiple series, including junior titles in Spain, his two CEV Moto3 championships, his first Grand Prix win in Moto2 at Catalunya in 2018, and eight premier class MotoGP victories through the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. His biggest prize remains the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.
MotoGP Highlights
Quartararo’s first MotoGP wins came in back-to-back races at Jerez in 2020. He added a third win at Catalunya that year, then opened 2021 with a win at the Doha Grand Prix and added four more victories at Portimao, Mugello, Assen, and Silverstone to seal the title. In 2022, he added wins at Portimao, Barcelona, and the Sachsenring, and in 2025 he returned to the podium with a second place at Jerez.
Fabio Quartararo Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Quartararo comes from a family of Sicilian origin with a deep racing heritage. His father, Étienne, won the 1983 French 125cc Championship and competed in the 250cc class of the 1986 French motorcycle Grand Prix, providing Quartararo with direct exposure to top-level competition from a young age.
Personal Life
Quartararo currently resides in Andorra, a popular base for MotoGP riders due to its proximity to many European circuits. On 14 July 2022, he was awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour by France in recognition of his achievements in motorcycle racing.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season began with mixed results for Quartararo, who finished 11th at the Qatar Grand Prix and 9th in the Portimao sprint. After a difficult opening stretch, he bounced back strongly at the Spanish Grand Prix, taking pole position and a second-place finish, his first MotoGP podium since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix. He added back-to-back poles at Le Mans and Silverstone, though wet weather at Le Mans and a ride height device failure at Silverstone led to non-finishes.
Quartararo’s campaign has been shaped by Yamaha’s ongoing development work and the team’s push to close the gap to rivals Ducati and Aprilia. Despite the challenges, his qualifying pace has remained a clear strength, with multiple pole positions already in the book. A non-finish at Aragon extended his run of main race DNFs to three, a first in his premier class career.
With his contract running through 2026, Quartararo remains central to Yamaha’s long-term MotoGP plans. The second half of the 2025 season offers an opportunity to build on the Spanish Grand Prix podium and convert qualifying speed into consistent race results.
