Joined Feb 2020
979 Posts | 1K+
Bendigo Vic
True. Has enough stacked away no doubt. He did get sick of riding a back marker bike though
Quartararo Extends Contract With Yamaha Through 2026
- Thread starter mylexicon
- Start date
Joined Dec 2020
147 Posts | 196+
Germany
Fabio is still young. This is nothing compared to the contract 39 y/o Hamilton signed at Ferrari.
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Now he won’t have to choose between a gold-plated Citroën and a diamond encrusted one. He can have both.
And he can eat snails and frog legs off of platinum dinnerware.
Joined Feb 2020
979 Posts | 1K+
Bendigo Vic
Happy to make that money, sad to know you will be fighting for top 10...on a good day.
For years.
For years.
Joined Dec 2020
147 Posts | 196+
Germany
At least that will prevents him for beating schumachers record for good
The way both Hamilton and Sainz are shaping this year since the announcement could mean Ferrari are having regrets already.
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
All the more why I respect him. He has said countless times he could have banked the money at Honda and ridden around the back, but he wants to win.
I don't blame Fabio for taking the avenue he has taken though. Most of these riders have short careers after all and like others have said, he has 1 championship that no one can take away.
Such BS IMO, and will end badly. Hamilton is too much of a Diva.
We call then 'Shitroens' for a reason....
I think it's purely a marketing ploy tbh, getting a big name to drive for them. I have no idea why they would sign him otherwise. They have repeatedly said Leclerc is their main focus and the whole reason they ditched Vettel for Sainz was they wanted a capable Nr 2. So now they change that philisophy for a driver towards the end of his career, is overhyped and a cry baby with a history of causing internal friction at every team he's ever been at?! I don;t see it ending well, especially if and when he is regularly beaten by Leclerc.
The interesting part about Fabio staying with Yamaha is that is tells us something about who he is.
In the MotoGP era, the great champions have eccentricities and behavioral maladies that propel them forward. Rossi will lie, cheat, curse, cut corners (hehe) or whatever to get the job done. He will play the crowd against the villain he designates, like a WWE event. Casey just cared about finding the limit and exceeding it. He was like a mountaineer in the death zone. Part if him died when he would push. Maybe racing was literally making him sick? Lorenzo found the limit and rode the limit the entire race without making mistakes. Marc seems to have been born without fear. He is propelled by youthful exuberance and desire to raise the stakes.
Who is Fabio? To me he is the clever one playing games and looking at the big picture. Doesn't mean he's made the correct decision to sell the prime of his career to an uncompetitive manufacturer, but strategic patience is a legitimate strategy, particularly when Ducati is still wiping the floor.
The issue will be whether he loses his appetite for victory. Unless he steals a win in the rain, I don't seem him taking victory this year or during the next two seasons. Can a rider really go 4 years in the wilderness without forgetting what it takes to win?
In the MotoGP era, the great champions have eccentricities and behavioral maladies that propel them forward. Rossi will lie, cheat, curse, cut corners (hehe) or whatever to get the job done. He will play the crowd against the villain he designates, like a WWE event. Casey just cared about finding the limit and exceeding it. He was like a mountaineer in the death zone. Part if him died when he would push. Maybe racing was literally making him sick? Lorenzo found the limit and rode the limit the entire race without making mistakes. Marc seems to have been born without fear. He is propelled by youthful exuberance and desire to raise the stakes.
Who is Fabio? To me he is the clever one playing games and looking at the big picture. Doesn't mean he's made the correct decision to sell the prime of his career to an uncompetitive manufacturer, but strategic patience is a legitimate strategy, particularly when Ducati is still wiping the floor.
The issue will be whether he loses his appetite for victory. Unless he steals a win in the rain, I don't seem him taking victory this year or during the next two seasons. Can a rider really go 4 years in the wilderness without forgetting what it takes to win?
Last edited:
I guess it might also say something about how he rates Aprilia and his chances of competing on their bike for less money. He might like his chances at Yamaha better at least in the medium term. The top KTM and the top Ducati rides look fairly taken.
He is however likely to come up against what even MM is now facing, the maximum number of years between titles in premier class history.
My view of Hamilton is similar to Alonso’s, his forte is clear track speed. I can’t see Ferrari giving him a dominant car which he would need at his age, particularly to beat Max. If recruiting old guys on past record recruiting Adrian Newey rather than Hamilton would be the better strategy, which I am sure has been and is being tried by Red Bull rivals.
Joined Aug 2013
902 Posts | 509+
USA
no doubt he made the right choice, but is this the right move for Yamaha? 3 years is a long time in MotoGP, who knows what the field will look like then.
True. Safe to say he doesn't see Aprilia as a championship contender. Maybe one day we'll learn the specifics of his decision-making criteria. Maybe it was championship or bank, and he didn't believe Aprilia could get the job done.
8M euros is a hefty price to pay for a couple of wins and a handful of podiums.
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
I agree that raw speed is his strength. However, like you noted, he needs a dominant car and the last 3 yrs have seen what happens when he doesnt have it. Alonso, even in crap cars, consistently outperformed team mates that achieved more than Hamiltons current team mate has, and he is getting comfortably beaten by him. At his age, with that many championships, I would argue that his hunger is not enough to overcome the current driver/car combination.
Ferrari have tried to court Newey, repeatedly. It is rumoured that he has been offered a blank cheque.
I still think he took the safe route though. A known bike and more money.
I had this thought as well. Aprilia is competitive sometimes but will it ever be competitive all the time? Or will it always be an almost bike? Yamaha have the history and the money to be a surer bet than Aprilia. He might have called it wrong, and taking the chance on Yamaha to get it right in time is why it is costing them an extra $8m per season.
Joined Sep 2015
734 Posts | 1K+
Office cubicle
Aprilia's potential atm is hard to tell, I don't rate their rider lineup.
Aprilia just need to loosen the purse strings and get a top rider on that bike. If they get a rider capable of winning it would give the whole team and factory a massive boost and those nearly moments would become race winning opportunities. Fabio would have been a good fit but they’ve got to pursue other options, Enea or Martin whichever one gets bumped. It’s been a shame that they have a bike capable of winning but for various reasons the riders can’t secure the top step. Vinales could and should have been that man but there’s no fire in him.
Similar threads
