Is reigning MotoGP World Champion Fabio Quartararo on course for a challenging 2022?

Fabio Quartararo was frustrated during the three winter tests at Jerez, Sepang and Mandalika. The 2021 MotoGP champion has stated that the power coming from his Yamaha YZR-M1 isn’t enough for him to be able to defend his title.

When Quartararo won the title last year, he wanted one thing from his 2022 machine – more top-speed.

Three months down the line, with the start of the 2022 season just weeks away, the 22-year-old is set to begin his title defence on the back foot.

The Frenchman won the 2021 title with five wins and five podiums and wrapped up his maiden crown with two races to spare at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Misano.

The frightening potential that the Ducati bikes could live up to this season could see the Italian outfit clinch their first riders’ title since 2007. On numerous occasions in 2021, the Ducati-powered riders effortlessly breezed past their competitors down the long straights, especially at Losail which will host the season opener in just over two weeks’ time – something Quartararo was a victim of throughout the season.

Quartararo stated after a trying Mandalika test last weekend that the bike isn’t fast enough in a straight line.

“I can do nothing more, from my side I put 100% every time I go on track.

“What we have is what we have, we have a top speed which I expected to be much better for 2022 but it’s exactly the same.

I always say the same, I won’t say it anymore, in the ended we know what we have from the engine and the horsepower but 100% from my side will always be there.”

The Frenchman also spoke about a dismal race simulation in Indonesia, and how he was unable to complete a second race run with the more comfortable soft tyre compound, which his team told him that it wouldn’t be used in the race next month.

“We did a long run with a medium rear tyre, and the feeling was really bad.

“I wanted to do another race simulation with the soft tyre but the team said to keep calm.”

Although pre-season testing isn’t always a true reflection of what the season will entail for a team and rider, however, the writing is somewhat on the wall for the Frenchman and Yamaha.

Despite Quartararo hinting at 2023 contract proposals, the Monster Energy Yamaha team bosses have revealed that they are ‘confident‘ in being able to extend their deal with the 2021 champion.

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Despite a difficult pre-season on-track, the Frenchman said that he is ‘100% ready for Qatar.’

With the field being fiercely competitive this year, the margin for error will be immensely small and being on a bike which isn’t capable of competing with it’s rivals in a straight line means you have to make up time in other places, leading to more mistakes and crashes which is something that Quartararo has previously struggled with, costing him the 2020 title.

Ducati come into the season as the hot favourites, with both Factory and Pramac riders at the helm of the GP22 bikes. Enea Bastianini is also tipped to have a bright season despite running older-spec machinery. Meanwhile, Aprilia, Honda and Suzuki have also made positive strides this winter and look to gate-crash the title challenge.

The 2023 rider market will be an interesting story which will unfold race by race, and with many riders’ deals coming to an end at the end of this season it could be all-change over the winter.

The rumour mill is already swirling, linking the likes of Joan Mir to a move to Repsol Honda, meanwhile, a potential MotoGP debut for 2021 World Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlıoğlu who would be amongst the top candidates to replace Quartararo if he was to head for pastures new.

It will be interesting to see if the Frenchman’s woes will be evident in the early stages of the season which could lead to his Yamaha exit, however, if he can make the best out of bad situations like he did in 2021 then he certainly shouldn’t be written off just yet.

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