Quartararo secured his first MotoGP title at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Misano after the fall of championship rival Francesco Bagnaia from the front made the Ducati rider mathematically impossible to stay in the fight.
This made Quartararo the first French Grand Prix motorcycle champion of the top class and completed the feat in only his third season in the top class.
A number of his current and former colleagues paid tribute to Quartararo following his title triumph after winning Yamaha’s first championship since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.
“Fabio came to MotoGP without making it in Moto2,” said crew chief Diego Gubellini, who followed Quartararo to the Yamaha factory team after working for the Petronas SRT team, told Motorsport.com.
“It took the pressure off and gave him the freedom he needed to understand the importance of understanding the bike and adapting to it before thinking about big changes.”
“It was a huge help to Yamaha.
“Fabio is a driver with whom you can work very well. Among other things, because he accepts his complicity when he is to blame. “
“[He] is easy going because that’s his character. He’s very polite in everyday life, he’s not a prima donna. “
Yamaha CEO Lin Jarvis agreed with Gubellini’s assessment of Quartararo, adding that the Frenchman has brought “positivity” to the team in addition to his driving skills.
Jarvis also stated that Quartararo’s easy-going nature means he doesn’t have to make enemies of his MotoGP peers and only requires an on-track rivalry to perform at his best.
“Personality is one of his strengths,” says Jarvis.
“He’s a good boy with the ability to ride his bike very quickly and be aggressive at the right moment, but with that he also combines a large dose of positivity.
“Some drivers need an enemy to do their best, strengthen themselves and destroy their rivals, but Fabio doesn’t.
“He doesn’t need enemies, he needs rivals to compete against and I think that’s why he’s so popular with his opponents too.”
World champion Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Dorna
Comparing Quartararo to Lorenzo, who had worked with both riders during his time in MotoGP, Quartararo’s former SRT team manager Wilco Zeelenberg stated that the 2021 champion can be more open-minded and adaptable compared to the Spanish rider.
“[Fabio is] someone to work with easily. Jorge [Lorenzo] knew what he wanted; he didn’t care about the rest. Fabio is very different. He’s very open-minded and that gives him great adaptability. “
“Warning, he also has his share of ego because he wants to hit everyone and because he hates to lose.
“But at the same time he shows a lot of respect, which is extraordinary in this environment.”