Fabio Quartararo not expecting any “reaction” from Yamaha despite lack of progress

Fabio Quartararo has ruled out the possibility of Yamaha introducing any major updates during 2026 in “reaction” to its ongoing woes in MotoGP.

The Frenchman believes the arrival of a major regulation change next year will make it difficult for Yamaha to fix its V4-powered M1, which has proved to be the slowest bike on the grid.

Yamaha is currently last in the constructors' standings with 41 points across the opening seven rounds, 29 short of next-to-bottom Honda.

“I don’t see the reaction,” said the 2021 world champion. “I think we are in one moment of the championship where we will not see more reaction. 

“We already started a bit late with the V4 and they have to prepare also next year, so I don't think we will see any reaction for this year.”

Quartararo made that comment in the wake of a tough race at Mugello, where he admitted the team’s competitive struggles were impacting his motivation.

He explained that his frustration at Yamaha stemmed from a lack of progress with its V4 project, particularly since the championship resumed at the end of April after an unexpected early season break.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

MotoGP held two in-season tests at Jerez and Barcelona to give teams a chance to introduce further developments to their bikes, but Quartararo feels little has changed on the M1 since he first tested the bike almost nine months ago.

“I don't really put [Mugello] behind me because it's what we have done in the last month that I'm not really happy [with],” he said.

“I'm not happy about how we improved our bike. It's the same bike as September 2025. So from the first prototype to now, I expected to make a big step forward, but we are still there. My job is to push, to give my best and it's what I will do if I feel comfortable on the bike.”

Quartararo endured arguably his toughest weekend of the season at Mugello, qualifying 17th and finishing 18th in Sunday’s race. It marked only the second time in 2026 that he failed to score a point in an entire race weekend.

Asked about his prospects for this weekend’s Hungarian GP, he said: “I'm really sensitive to the front feeling. I never had this [problem] last year and now I have very little feeling in the front. I expect [Balaton Park] to be better.

“Worse is difficult compared to Mugello, but I could not really ride [there], so I expect better than Mugello."