Quartararo’s Warning to Yamaha: Dovizioso Could Be The Key To Yamaha’s Success

Fabio Quartararo is sounding the alarm at Yamaha. The French MotoGP star is urging his team to leverage the expertise of Andrea Dovizioso far more than they currently are. Speaking candidly after the post-race test at Aragon, Quartararo emphasized that the former rider’s technical understanding and communication skills could be pivotal in Yamaha’s ongoing battle for competitiveness in MotoGP.

“We aren’t using him enough,” said Quartararo, highlighting that Dovizioso’s feedback is often more perceptive than raw telemetry. “The team must give him the possibility to go more deeply into the technical side.”

Dovizioso’s Role at Yamaha: Underused and Undervalued?

Andrea Dovizioso, who began testing with Yamaha in 2024, has since taken on a more official capacity. His presence at both the Spanish Grand Prix and the Aragon MotoGP was a sign of the team trying to integrate him more fully. However, Quartararo believes Yamaha is only scratching the surface of what Dovizioso can offer.

The Italian veteran is renowned for his precise communication with engineers and his understanding of bike behavior beyond the data. For Quartararo, that’s a game-changer.

“The way he explains things… he knows exactly what is happening on the bike,” Quartararo said. “This is super important for engineers.”

While engineers can read what the sensors and data suggest, Quartararo argues that Dovizioso bridges the gap between rider feel and technical insight—a crucial factor in solving Yamaha’s performance puzzle.

Communication Is Key: Rider and Engineer Collaboration

One of the main themes in Quartararo’s comments is communication between riders and engineers. He pointed out a glaring issue: chatter—a suspension-related vibration often undetected in data—can go unnoticed unless a rider like Dovizioso highlights it.

“I feel [chatter] a lot, but in the data, you don’t see it. Andrea knows it.”

In modern MotoGP, where teams are overloaded with sensor data, the subjective experience of a rider is often the missing piece in diagnostics. Quartararo believes Dovizioso’s understanding of this nuance could be vital for Yamaha’s development.

Fabio Quartararo Details the Aragon MotoGP Test

Following a weekend of racing, Quartararo stayed for a one-day test in Aragon, during which he ran several updates Yamaha has been working on for months. These included:

• A new engine that was previously tested by Augusto Fernandez.

• Updated electronics strategies.

• An aerodynamic fairing update.

“The engine feels better, the electronics is the same,” Quartararo assessed, sounding cautiously optimistic.

Despite the changes, Quartararo made it clear that Yamaha is still far from solving its major issues. He reiterated that grip—especially mechanical grip—remains his biggest concern, with little progress being made across four days of track time.

Grip Problems Continue to Haunt Yamaha

Even after days of continuous feedback and adjustments, Quartararo admitted that no major breakthrough was achieved in either electronic performance or mechanical grip.

“From Friday to Monday, we still didn’t manage to get what I asked from the electronics,” he said. “It’s not possible to spend Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday and still not get something which is really clear.”

The YZR-M1‘s mechanical grip—or lack thereof—has been a talking point since 2023, and Yamaha’s inability to resolve it remains a glaring weakness.

“Mechanical grip is where we can make a good step, but we haven’t found it. This is the thing we have never found,” Quartararo emphasized.

Electronics Remain a Mystery

While Quartararo did try new electronics strategies, he admitted that Yamaha still doesn’t fully understand the gains possible from electronic adjustments.

“There is a lot to gain, but nobody knows. We don’t know how much we could gain.”

This lack of clarity and predictability is hurting Yamaha’s chances in 2025. Quartararo made it clear that more technical synergy and deeper analytical work—possibly spearheaded by experienced hands like Dovizioso—is necessary for progress.

Private Test in Barcelona: A Step Forward or More of the Same?

While Quartararo will skip Yamaha’s upcoming private test in Barcelona, the effort continues without him. Augusto Fernandez, along with Pramac Yamaha riders Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller, will conduct the test on Wednesday and Thursday.

“I won’t do the test in Barcelona,” Quartararo confirmed. “It makes no sense to try a lot of tracks.”

The goal of the test is clear: try to replicate the changes tested at Misano and verify them under different track conditions. However, Quartararo’s absence is notable and hints at his skepticism regarding the value of further testing without foundational improvements.

“They just want to try the things that we tried in Misano to feel the difference. It’s also for the tyres. We do a lot of tests and don’t have a lot of tyres to waste.”

Team Dynamics and Mentality: Has Yamaha Really Changed?

Quartararo acknowledged that the team’s mentality has changed, but he warned that there’s still a long way to go before Yamaha becomes a well-oiled machine again.

“The mentality changed a long time ago, but we still have a long way to go to work properly.”

It’s not enough to merely acknowledge problems, the French rider implies. The real work lies in correctly diagnosing and solving them—something Quartararo feels Yamaha hasn’t achieved yet.

“The engineers and myself must work together. But we are making good steps.”

Despite the frustrations, Quartararo remains committed to working with Yamaha, although his message is loud and clear: the team must start maximizing every resource—including Andrea Dovizioso—if they want to turn the ship around.

Will Yamaha Listen to Quartararo’s Plea?

The big question is: Will Yamaha give Dovizioso the technical influence Quartararo believes is essential?

Dovizioso, a three-time MotoGP runner-up and veteran of over 200 Grand Prix starts, possesses the kind of rider-turned-developer insights that have helped other teams like Ducati transform into front-runners. Quartararo’s comments underline the need for Yamaha to harness this wisdom before it’s too late.

By not fully integrating Dovizioso into their technical operations, Yamaha risks squandering one of its most valuable assets—not just in hardware or engineering, but in experience and human capital.

What’s Next for Quartararo and Yamaha?

As the MotoGP calendar barrels toward the mid-season grind, Yamaha has precious little time to respond to Quartararo’s growing frustration. The next big test will be the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, where Yamaha will run a setup similar to what was used at Silverstone, Jerez, and Le Mans.

“We will start at Mugello with the same setup as Silverstone, Jerez and Le Mans,” Quartararo confirmed.

But setup repetition may not be the solution if the fundamental issues with grip and electronics remain unsolved. More importantly, the current direction of Yamaha’s development needs to become smarter—not just more rigorous.

Conclusion: Quartararo’s Frustration Is a Wake-Up Call

Fabio Quartararo’s urgent call to utilize Andrea Dovizioso more effectively is more than just a technical recommendation—it’s a plea for structural change at Yamaha. In a sport where every tenth of a second counts, ignoring Dovizioso’s depth of knowledge could be Yamaha’s most expensive mistake.

If Yamaha wants to reclaim its spot at the top of MotoGP, it must act now. That means:

• Empowering Andrea Dovizioso with deeper technical responsibilities.

• Bridging the communication gap between engineers and riders.

• Finding real, measurable solutions to chronic issues like mechanical grip and electronic mapping.

Quartararo has spoken. Now, it’s up to Yamaha to listen—or risk losing their star rider’s faith completely.