Never meet your heroes, but how are you going to replace them? For many, Valentino Rossi is a living MotoGP legend and an absolute inspiration on the track. His legacy remains despite a rather lackluster season, and living up to his legend has been a little overwhelming for his Yamaha colleague Fabio Quartararo.
In his rookie year 2019, Quartararo achieved seven podiums and six pole positions. The young racing driver was then signed by the Yamaha factory racing team in early 2021, which in fact made him a team-mate of Maverick Vinales, as he was also taken over for the season. However, this decision was at the expense of Valentino Rossi, who accompanied the brand for fifteen years. During this time, Rossi won four of seven titles in the premier class with the Japanese manufacturer.
Quartararo is currently in top form this season and has contested four races – Doha, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands. In the overall standings Quartararo has a lead of 34 points, while the GP goes into the summer break.
When asked about the pressure, Quartararo said he hadn’t felt any added pressure since his promotion at Yamaha, but he admitted the responsibility of taking Rossi’s place was “big”.
Quartararo also said: “Yes, I think about the pressure for myself, I think it will be something normal.”
“I think I’ve had pressure all my life and right now I feel like it’s normal. So let’s say I’m used to it. “
“Sure there will be a moment when there is a lot more when you’re fighting for the championship in a race, but right now I feel like the pressure is the same and normal.”
“And the responsibility is great. Instead of Valentino, everyone was waiting for me to get great results and everything. “
“But I’m there, I think I’m doing a really great job and I have the feeling that the team is not only happy about me, but also about my crew, the way we work, the atmosphere in the Team on both sides with The mechanics are good. “
“So the whole team is working on the right path and I think that helps a lot.”
Quartararo is also no stranger to a mental struggle. In 2020, the racer sought mental help from a psychologist to keep calm. So far, the results are showing, and he continues to show promise, even with some of the biggest footsteps to fill.