Fabio Quartararo has delivered a blunt assessment of Yamaha’s difficult 2025 MotoGP season, describing the team’s ongoing challenges during remarks at the Mandalika Circuit. The French rider highlighted that although Yamaha made various upgrades this year, their most impactful progress actually took place prior to the current campaign, exposing Yamaha MotoGP 2025 struggles more clearly.
The season began with promise as Yamaha showed competitive pace, generating optimism for a strong year. Early results from the initial rounds, including races at Le Mans, Jerez, and Silverstone, reflected a hopeful outlook. But as the year advanced, Yamaha slumped badly in the second half, leaving both Quartararo and the team facing mounting frustration and poor results.
V4 Engine Project Diverts Focus from M1 Performance
A major factor hampering Yamaha’s progress has been the ambitious development of a V4 engine. This initiative has shifted resources and attention away from improving the underperforming 2025 Yamaha M1 bike. After a disappointing trial of the V4 prototype at Misano, Quartararo expressed optimism about the potential, but acknowledged that the on-track results failed to match expectations.
“No, I think the biggest step we did for this year was the 2024 Barcelona test,”
Quartararo stated bluntly, emphasizing that the main advancements were achieved last year rather than in 2025.
Early Season Highlights Become a Distant Memory
The French rider pinpointed the first races of the season as Yamaha’s most competitive moments. Most notably, the circuits of Le Mans, Jerez, and Silverstone brought some encouraging performances. However, since those initial events, Quartararo noted a sharp decline in form and growing difficulties.
“Since then, we are really struggling,”
he admitted, highlighting the team’s ongoing difficulties amidst his personal efforts to adapt and improve.
Quartararo’s Qualifying Success Fails to Translate to Race Day
Last season presented challenges for Quartararo, particularly with his one-lap pace, an issue shared by Yamaha throughout 2024. This year, he has managed to secure four pole positions, showing an improvement in qualifying speed and giving a rare glimpse of hope. Nevertheless, these successes have not fully carried over into race results, underscoring persistent performance problems during Grand Prix events.
“Well, last year was tough. The potential was there, but we could not really make the tyres work on the rear,”
Quartararo explained, revealing the underlying technical struggles affecting race pace and tire management.
Mixed Outlook as Indonesian Grand Prix Nears
Approaching the Indonesian Grand Prix, Quartararo remains cautiously confident about his one-lap speed on the Mandalika Circuit. Although Yamaha continues to battle with consistency and overall race performance, the rider believes there is still potential to unlock better results before the season concludes.
“On one lap, I know I can be really fast on this track. So, let’s see if we can be fast on the race pace,”
he stated, showing determination despite the overwhelming challenges faced by both himself and the team.
Uncertain Future for Yamaha After Disappointing Campaign
As the MotoGP 2025 season nears its end, Yamaha’s fate remains uncertain following a year marked by underachievement and technical setbacks. Quartararo’s frank appraisal serves as a sobering reminder of how far the team must progress to reestablish competitiveness. Fans, analysts, and members of the MotoGP community will be watching closely to see if Yamaha can recover and challenge their rivals in the future.
