Fabio Quartararo Interview during Mugello week
Is it true that Pecco Bagnaia consulted you about his future?
“No. I talk with Bagnaia, but that would be like me going to a rider from another manufacturer and asking for advice about my future. It doesn’t make sense. And it’s not true.”
“And thanks for asking that question! It’s not true. People write things without knowing the facts, and they think Bagnaia didn’t go to Yamaha because of me, which is not true.”
Both of your parents are Italian. Is there any Italian tradition that you still keep in your family?
“In the past, when my grandmothers were still alive, they didn’t speak Italian but actually Sicilian dialect. Since they passed away, those traditions have gradually disappeared.”
Do you know what your surname, Quartararo, means?
“Yes, it was explained to me some time ago.”
Quartarara is a type of container used for water and wine, and a Quartararo would be the craftsman who makes it…
You have been quite critical of Yamaha in some of your statements. Looking back, do you think you went a little too far? Considering that Yamaha pays you a lot of money and is here to sell motorcycles.
“It’s true that sometimes I went a bit too far with my criticism. It was my way of trying to improve things. Then I realized that there’s no need to always be angry. For a long time now, I’ve simply been trying to do my job and not be angry.”
In 2020, you learned that you would take Valentino Rossi’s place in the factory Yamaha team. Did you feel pressure? Did he give you any advice?
“No advice. When you’re at this level, you don’t really want to give advice to anyone. I felt uncomfortable, nervous, and anxious. I was afraid of the reaction from the Italian fans. Not because I was replacing Valentino himself, but because I was joining the factory team while he was moving to the satellite team. I struggled with it during the pre-season and the first races, but eventually it passed.”
Livio Suppo tried to sign you during the Suzuki years, right?
“Yes. We were quite advanced in our discussions. It was a time when I wanted to evaluate all my options for the future, and Suzuki was a bike I really liked, so I seriously considered it.”
If you had won at Silverstone last year, before the engine failure while leading the race, would anything have changed?
“No, nothing would have changed. Yamaha had already decided to develop the V4 engine and had stopped working on the 2025 bike. Of course, with last year’s bike we probably would have done better this year. But the project was already decided, and we have to grow with this bike. Even so, with further development of the 2025 bike, it could have been better this year.”
From 2019 to 2022, you were almost always fighting for podiums and victories. Then difficult years followed. Looking back, was your last contract renewal with Yamaha a mistake?
“When you’re living in the moment, you don’t see it as a mistake. Now that things aren’t going well, it’s easy to say it was a mistake. At that time, I was talking with the engineers and everyone involved, and for me it wasn’t a mistake. Today we’re struggling, but I still wouldn’t say it was the wrong decision.”
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