Before deciding to extend his contract with Yamaha - a deal announced on Friday - Fabio Quartararo had to choose between following two paths: to be competitive again as soon as possible, or to consider a more long-term and lucrative route. Yamaha's lack of progress makes it very difficult for the Frenchman to return to winning ways before the expiration of his new deal, which makes him the highest-earning rider on the MotoGP grid.
Since celebrating the title in 2021, the performance curve of the Yamaha ridden by Quartararo has been on a precipitous downward spiral that can only be compared to the other Japanese manufacturer in the championship. In fact, Honda had no choice but to let Marc Marquez go at the end of last season, as the Spaniard was exhausted and decided to forgo the final year of his contract and the €20 million he was entitled to.
