INTERVIEW I MO T OGP WORLD C HAMPION FABIO QUAR TARARO
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looked every bit the finished
article from his early forays in
Yamaha's factory team—all in the
space of one winter.
Quartararo has single hand-
edly flown the flag for Yamaha
all year long, fighting his way
through the hoard of fast Duca-
tis. He has been quick every-
where, with the exception of
Aragon. Five wins were each
achieved in swashbuckling
style. But it was the way he
bounced back from crushing
disappointments—the arm pump
during the Spanish GP, "zip-
pergate" a month later in Bar-
celona—had the hallmarks of a
champion. And on those difficult
days, he attacked the occasion
with relish.
On the back of his success at
the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
in October, Quartararo not only
has the distinction of becoming
France's first-ever premier class
champion in 72 years; he's the
sixth youngest of all time at just
22 years and 187 days (and just
look at the names ahead of him
on that list to see the company
he holds: Marquez, Spencer,
Stoner, Hailwood, Surtees). "He
was the one who deserved this
title the most," chief rival Fran-
cesco Bagnaia conceded. A
point each of his MotoGP adver-
saries likely agrees with.
He managed an average
of 15.4 points per race this
year—more than seven up of his
2020 average of 9.0, a massive
upswing. So how did Quar-
tararo manage this particular
turnaround?
Fighting On The Limit
To listen to the 22-year-old, it
all sounds fairly simple. "The
Who needs an elbow down
when you're practically dragging
your shoulder?
"He's calmer
now. He's more
rational. He
understands that
getting emotional
doesn't bring you
anything."
- Lin Jarvis, Yamaha's
Managing Director
