MotoGP: Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo 'Enjoyed Riding the New Bike' in 2025 Pre-Season Testing at Barcelona

Yamaha's 2024 MotoGP season may have been challenging, but the post-season test at Barcelona offered a glimmer of hope. French rider Fabio Quartararo secured the second-fastest time, just 0.396 seconds behind Alex Marquez. Quartararo's impressive performance highlighted the significant improvements made by Yamaha with their upgraded motorcycle. The bike features a revised chassis and engine modifications, which have proven crucial in boosting overall performance. Quartararo's consistent pace throughout the session demonstrated the potential of these improvements. With the addition of a Pramac Racing satellite team for the upcoming season, Yamaha will benefit from increased data and development resources. This strategic move aims to further refine the bike's setup, enhance competitiveness on the track, and strengthen its overall challenge for the upcoming season. 

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'We tested many items that were quite positive,' said Quartararo. 'I think that the direction Yamaha took was the correct one. The updated chassis and engine were the bigger steps we made here. The next big steps will arrive in Sepang, but I think this was already quite a positive day, and I enjoyed riding the new bike. We were able to test it in a proper way. Even without really pushing in a time attack, we could still push and set a quite good lap time.'

His teammate Alex Rins finished 8th with 1'39.568s. The Spaniard tested the updated chassis and engine and felt overall good about the test. 

Alex Rins said: 'We tried something I didn't try during the GP weekend for the set-up that makes my life a bit easier when riding the bike. Apart from that, Yamaha brought some updates: a chassis and an engine. I felt especially good with the chassis. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with the test we did. Now Yamaha will have a lot of data, plus the data from two more riders. So, now it's up to Yamaha to put it all together. Let's see what they can do for Sepang.'

MotoGP: Yamaha 2024 Season

Yamaha endured a challenging 2024 MotoGP season, plagued by performance issues that left them struggling to compete at the top. The Iwata-based manufacturer ultimately finished fourth in the constructors’ standings, managing just 124 points.

For the 2025 season, Yamaha has made a welcoming move by partnering with Pramac Racing. This collaboration will see Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira riding the latest Yamaha M1 machines, providing Yamaha with additional data to improve their bike and overall performance.

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With two additional riders contributing insights, the team can accelerate development and address the issues that hampered their 2024 campaign. The partnership with Pramac Racing represents a fresh start for Yamaha as they look to reclaim their position as a MotoGP frontrunner.