Back in business: Fabio Quartararo’s return to the top

Silvia Cojocaru
1 day ago
3 min read

Written by Silvia Cojocaru, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

In a season dominated by Ducati riders, Fabio Quartararo brought his Yamaha bike onto pole position in Spain, before finishing on the podium for the first time in nearly two years.

Quartararo is already a respected name in motorbike racing, the Frenchman becoming a world champion in 2021, aged just 22. Over the past seasons, he struggled to overcome the limitations of his Yamaha bike, but “El Diablo” continued to put out incredible performances.

The first four races of 2015 only saw Quartararo finish in the top 10 two times on a Sunday. This would all change when MotoGP arrived in Jerez. The Spanish circuit holds fond memories for the rider, being the place where he claimed his first-ever MotoGP pole and win in 2020.

The beginning of the weekend

Right from the test sessions, the Frenchman seemed more comfortable on his bike, finishing third in the overall test rankings, 0.477s behind eventual leader Marc Márquez.

Going into the qualifying session, it was clear Quartararo’s newfound confidence would make him someone to watch, despite fierce competition at the top. However, when Marc Márquez failed to improve on his last lap, “El Diablo” went on to set a new lap record, celebrating his first pole position with Yamaha since Mandalika in 2022.

A hero in the race

After crashing early in the Saturday sprint, Quartararo had everything to prove in the race if he wanted to take advantage of his qualifying result.

The Frenchman had a great start off the line, holding the lead for the first 10 laps of the race, with the two Ducati bikes close behind him. A move by Álex Márquez on lap 11 meant Quartararo gave up the lead, choosing to train his focus on keeping Francesco Bagnaia behind.

What followed was an incredible demonstration of defensive riding from “El Diablo”, who did not give his rival a single chance to overtake until the chequered flag. Quartararo was also named as the “Rider of the Race”, a new feature added to MotoGP allowing fans to vote for the standout performer during the race.

After the race, Quartararo reflected on his accomplishment: “It's incredible! I am over the moon! To be on the podium is something super special. The moments we lived this weekend: with my team, with my crew, with my family, and my friends, were amazing – especially making the pole position.”

The Frenchman revelled and soaked in the sights of battling at the head of the grid, and his battle with Bagnaia to maintain his runner-up position until the flag dropped.

“Leading the Sprint and Race, and making the podium was nice. Fighting at the front is a great feeling. Being at the front and leading a race is something I love. The gap to the winner was not so big here; Alex Marquez just had a bit more today.

“To keep Pecco [Bagnaia] behind us all race by 0.5s was so difficult. It's been a long time, but I'm super happy to be back on the podium in Jerez,” he concluded.

This performance was enough to take Quartararo to sixth in the overall standings, accumulating double the points compared to this stage of the season last year. The Frenchman will undoubtedly look to carry this momentum into his home GP at Le Mans this weekend.

With the 2025 season still in its early stages, and multiple manufacturers trying to catch up to Ducati, there is still enough time for Quartararo to fight for the top positions.