In Hungary, on the Balaton Park circuit, Fabio Quartararo could have harbored some hopes of performing well. Except that Yamaha failed to deliver once again…
The divorce between Yamaha and Fabio Quartararo seems final. For this 8th round of the season at Balaton Park, in Hungary, the rider from Nice never found his rhythm. On a track where engine power is not predominant, the Japanese brand never managed to unlock the potential of its machine. Last in the constructors’ standings, far behind the competition, the Japanese manufacturer already seems to have given up for the 2026 season.
A difficult situation to manage for Fabio Quartararo, who is suffering from this lack of performance to the point of being impatient to announce his move to Honda next season. In the meantime, there were still 15 races to run. Fifteen was moreover the position of the Maralpin on the starting grid at the end of qualifying.
In the sprint race, Fabio Quartararo failed to shine. A cautious start, then the lack of performance of the official Yamaha sent the 2021 world champion down to the bottom of the standings, 17th, 17 seconds behind winner Marc Márquez, in sad anonymity. At the finish, “El Diablo” could only acknowledge the damage: “when there is no grip, I struggle a lot to ride the bike. It’s been like this since my MotoGP debut. I struggle without grip, I make a lot of mistakes. And the feelings on the front are not good. I’m just trying to do my best […] Honestly, I didn’t expect to struggle so much here. But you have to accept it.”
A miracle that didn’t last
It was without the slightest hint of optimism that the Nice-born rider, without his fellow countryman Johann Zarco — whose operation was slightly postponed to avoid any risk of wound infection — launched himself into this Grand Prix. On an overheated tarmac, grip problems never disappeared throughout these 26 laps. Except that at the start, Fabio Quartararo benefited from a huge crash ahead of him to pass eleven competitors and find himself 6th as if by a miracle. Opportunistic, the rider from Nice nevertheless didn’t have the ability to compete with the machines behind him. On medium tires at both front and rear, grip remained very precarious throughout the race. A nearly insurmountable handicap on a circuit that above all demands plenty of grip in the fast corners.
With one position lost per lap on average at the start of the race, the goal was to pick up some points to save a catastrophic weekend. But struggling on the braking zones, car number 20 continued to drop in the standings.
Fighting to salvage some points, the Tricolore was penalized with a long lap for exceeding track limits too often. A fact that ended his hopes of scoring points. The Frenchman ultimately did not finish the Grand Prix, retiring to his pit three laps from the end while running dead last.
Can’t wait for next year! Next race in two weeks in the Czech Republic for the MotoGP riders.
