Fabio Quartararo stood in the wrong starting position at Assen, oblivious to the fact that he had qualified better than he thought – an error that left fans and paddock insiders in disbelief.
The Monster Energy Yamaha rider, recovering from a disappointing Friday due to complaints of insufficient grip and power, advanced from Q1 to Q2 on Saturday and finished an impressive ninth on the grid for the MotoGP Sprint. Yet, as the lights prepared to go out at the historic Dutch circuit, Quartararo accidentally pitted his Yamaha in the grid box for 11th place – two places behind his actual qualifying result. This mistake led to a quick correction just moments before the start of the race.
The mix-up was the latest twist in an eventful weekend for the former world champion. Quartararo’s confusion was rooted in his own low expectations after a difficult opening day at Assen, during which he openly criticized Yamaha’s lack of competitiveness. Even though he found unexpected momentum in qualifying, Friday’s struggles left a mental fog that left him unaware of his true state.
Assen, the cathedral of speed, has seen its share of drama over the years, but Quartararo’s grid mistake stands out as a symbol of Yamaha’s ongoing struggles in the premier class. The French rider’s mistake comes at a crucial moment for both him and his team. Yamaha, once a dominant force in MotoGP, is now falling behind Ducati, KTM and Aprilia. Quartararo, the 2021 world champion, has been vocal about the M1’s shortcomings – particularly issues of grip and power, which have seen him drop down the pecking order since his title-winning campaign.
The weekend also marked the first competitive start following MotoGP’s ban on front start devices, a change made to bring the level playing field at launch. For Quartararo, the new rules brought a rare ray of hope. “I made a mistake,” he candidly admitted after the race. “I thought I was 11th, I was behind Bastianini so I had to go back to my place (ninth).”
He reflected on the start itself, noting the subtle improvements brought about by the technical changes: “The start was good, but I wasn’t really pushing at the start. But the start was great. Just needed to get used to the front (no start device). It was good. With a full fuel tank we have a low wheelie, so that’s quite OK.”
Despite a promising comeback, Quartararo dropped out of the points and ultimately finished 10th. Underlying problems with Yamaha persisted, dampening their hopes of taking advantage of the strong qualifying. “I mean, you know, when we have a little more grip, I can really push to the limit,” Quartararo explained. “Reaching this limit is really complicated, but that’s one of my strong points, but when in the race you don’t have front and rear grip, you reach the limit very quickly. So, that’s why I haven’t been able to go faster, and that’s exactly what happened today. I mean, we’re used to it, but I try to maximize the performance.”
Quartararo’s candid confession paints a picture of a rider who is fighting with everything he has, not only against his rivals but also against the limits of his machine. The grid glitch was a small mishap in the grand scheme, yet symbolic of Yamaha’s current malaise – a team and rider looking for answers, haunted by the memory of former glory.
As the championship progresses, the pressure is increasing. Quartararo and Yamaha must find a way to regain their lost lead or risk spending the remainder of the season as also-rans. The Dutch Grand Prix raised another urgent question: can Quartararo’s tenacity and Yamaha’s engineering prowess combine to make a difference, or is this the new normal for a once-great partnership? The next chapter promises high drama – and perhaps, redemption or further heartbreak.
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