On Friday during the Grand Prix of the Americas, Fabio Quartararo’s manager Eric Mahe confirmed during the test broadcast that he is in talks about the Frenchman’s seat from 2023 with teams other than Yamaha.
Quartararo, who placed third after the first two free practice sessions, has made no secret of his displeasure at Yamaha ‘s lack of progress with its 2022 bike, particularly its engine, admitting in February that its future beyond this year still open.
Although his options for 2023 are limited, Quartararo has been linked to several teams, including an unlikely move to Honda.
Asked by Motorsport.com at the Circuit of the Americas if his priority was staying with Yamaha in 2023 or if the other options appealed to him, Quartararo said: “To be honest, right now I feel like I’m focused on the present because it’s not that We are looking at options because I want to leave.
“It’s not like that at all. But, right now, I feel like my priority is to fight for the championship this year and I don’t have as much time to think about other things.”
“When I’m in a race weekend, I have every intention of doing my best for the whole weekend.”
“But it is true that in the end we have to look at my future, and we will look at it during this month or the next.”
The main obstacle to Quartararo getting a deal elsewhere is thought to be what the available team is willing to pay for the reigning world champion. It is very likely that this figure will not reach what Yamaha can offer you.
But should he seriously consider a change, Quartararo says the prospect of adapting to a new bike taking time is not going to sway his decision.
“I do what I think is right, because if everyone thinks like that, no one will change teams and everyone will stay the same,” added the Frenchman.
“But, in the end, you don’t have to think about ‘am I going to get used to this bike or not?’ natural]”.
“But in the end you don’t have to think about getting used to a bike. That is one thing that is completely out of my head.”
“For me it’s about the project, that’s the most important thing, then you adapt to the driving style in whatever way you can.”
“Even with our bike, we made a massive change to Mandalika and of course it’s different.”
“But you get used to it. You feel different and you adapt, and in the end it is great to see that with the data it is now easier to adapt because [you] can compare yourself with many drivers,” Quartararo settled.
