Fabio Quartararo Remains Cautious After Buriram Test

Yamaha’s development for the 2025 MotoGP season shows progress with Quartararo’s P8 finish, but the Frenchman remains uncertain.

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The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team has concluded its 2025 preseason testing at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, with Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins finishing eighth and seventeenth in the combined standings. While Yamaha has shown encouraging signs of improvement, Quartararo remains measured in his expectations for the season ahead.

Despite strong performances in both the Sepang and Buriram tests, the fan-favourite Quartararo said that he has “no targets” for the 2025 MotoGP campaign, emphasizing that Yamaha is still in a phase of continuous improvement, sources taken from Crash.net. 

“For me, right now, it’s too difficult to set a goal because we are still in the part where we have to improve,” said the 2021 MotoGP champion. “The goals will be set just before the sprint race and the race when we feel more or less where we stand.”

Tyre Issues and Rear Traction Still a Concern

While Quartararo showed promising pace, he struggled with the front tyre selection Michelin provided at Buriram. He noted that his discomfort in this area cost him valuable tenths in time attack attempts.

“I didn’t have a great front feeling, and I think two or three-tenths—especially on the time attack—went away in this area,” he explained. “On pace, we were three to four-tenths slower than the top guys, which was expected. But I thought I would be faster in the time attack.”

Another lingering issue for Yamaha is rear traction, a problem that has persisted from the previous season. However, the team has made notable improvements in top speed, a critical weakness in past years.

“We didn’t improve on traction grip, unfortunately,” Quartararo admitted. “But we improved on top speed, which we really needed. Hopefully, we can improve our corner speed and front-end feeling by the race weekend.”

Optimism for the Season, But No Expectations Yet

Despite the ongoing challenges, Quartararo acknowledged that Yamaha’s level is “different than last year” and that the team has made significant strides. However, he remains cautious about setting any concrete targets before the season begins.

“By judging our riding, we are doing quite well,” he concluded. “We want to go into this season with no expectations and just do our best.”

With Yamaha making steady progress, all eyes will be on Quartararo and Rins as they take on the 2025 MotoGP season opener in Buriram from February 28 to March 2.