Why worry when you’ve got Fab?
Yamaha can live without Maverick
Yamaha might be minus superstars Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales in 2022, but frankly will they care? The Iwata factory has unearthed a new talisman in Fabio Quartararo and his dominant win in Assen shows Yamaha’s future is in safe hands. Quartararo has outclassed Rossi and Viñales this season and his superiority is reflected by some humiliating stats for his peers. Quartararo has scored more points in the opening nine races of 2021 than all other Yamaha riders together. His Assen win was his fourth this year, which is the same win tally mustered by Viñales in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and one more than Rossi has managed in the last five years. Easy to see then why his rise to prominence will significantly lessen the impact of Yamaha’s high-profile double departure. Quartararo heads into the summer break with a comfortable 34-point lead in the standings and his rivals will be aware that the damage could have been a lot worse.
Without his chronic arm pump issue when leading in Jerez and his bizarre leathers problem in Catalunya while in podium contention, his advantage could easily be over 60 points. Outright speed has never been in doubt. Thirty front row starts in just 42 MotoGP appearances are testament to that. This year he’s managed to add consistency and after nine races he’s the only rider to have scored points in all.
‘It’s not the bike, it’s Fabio that is the best rider’
Quartararo confessed to being in the ‘best moment’ of his career after his Assen success. Title rival Pecco Bagnaia hit the nail on the head when asked in his post-race appraisal whether the M1 is the best bike on the grid, saying: “It’s not Yamaha that’s the best bike, but Fabio who’s the best rider.” Can’t say fairer than that.