Fabio Quartararo finished seventh at the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring; however, what really caught attention were his comments about Yamaha. The French rider clearly stated that the manufacturer is fully focused on its 850cc MotoGP project, which is expected to launch in 2027, and therefore he does not expect any updates to the current bike for the remainder of the 2026 season.
A tough first round, followed by an improved ranking.
Starting from sixth place in Sunday's main race, Quartararo dropped to ninth on the very first lap. He described the experience: 'I almost fell at turn three. Then there was a slight contact with Jorge Martin at turn five. Despite that, I'm not complaining; it's an inevitable part of racing.' Quartararo finished the sprint race in ninth place, but later in the main race, he climbed to eighth after Fabio Di Giannantonio crashed, and then to seventh after Alex Marquez retired on lap nine, finishing in that position. Quartararo, the only Yamaha rider to win at Sachsenring in 2022, also achieved the best result among all Yamaha riders in the factory team.
The adjustment decision was decisive.
Quartararo also touched upon the motorcycle setup process that took place over the weekend, stating that on Friday he had to test a different option brought from Assen instead of his preferred configuration. 'On Saturday morning we switched back to the bike I wanted and immediately got into the rhythm,' he said. The rider emphasized that the bike he used in the race was the same as those used in Le Mans and Barcelona; he noted that all of his best results this season came with these settings.
Yamaha expectations have been reduced to zero.
Quartararo, whose potential move to Honda in 2027 has yet to be officially confirmed, said he acknowledges Yamaha is no longer taking concrete steps to improve the current bike. "Even though I knew I wouldn't be continuing with Yamaha at the start of the season, I was expecting some updates from them; both for my own performance and for the brand's progress," he said. He then added: "But now I see that their only focus is the 850cc project. Given this reality, I'm not demanding anything from the manufacturer; I'm trying to use the material we have in the most efficient way." Quartararo, whose best individual result this season was sixth place at the Catalan GP, enters the summer break 14th in the world championship standings. His factory teammate Alex Rins is just behind him in the standings; the Frenchman has twice as many points as Rins.