Rennie Scaysbrook | January 29, 2020
Fabio Quartararo has signed for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, replacing nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi.
Quartararo, a winner in Moto2, took seven podium positions in his rookie year for the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team and will continue to race for the Malaysian squad ahead of his full factory debut in 2021.
“I’m delighted about what my management has achieved in the last few months together with YMC (Yamaha Motor Corporation). “It was not simple to establish, but now I have a clear plan for the next three years and I’m really happy.
“I will work hard like I did last year, and I’m extremely motivated to achieve great performances.”
Quartararo will partner Maverick Vinales, who’s signing for the 2021 and 2022 MotoGP seasons was announced earlier in the week.
Quartararo’s promotion to the factory Yamaha squad comes at the expense of Valentino Rossi, who will end his tenure as an official factory rider at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
However, that doesn’t means Rossi will necessarily hang up the gloves, as Yamaha has promised the nine-time World Champion full factory support should he wish to continue racing in the Petronas team.
“For reasons dictated by the rider market, Yamaha asked me at the beginning of the year to make a decision regarding my future,” Rossi said. “Consistent with what I said during the last season, I confirmed that I didn’t want to rush any decision and needed more time. Yamaha has acted accordingly and concluded the ongoing negotiations.
“It is clear that after the last technical changes and with the arrival of my new crew chief, my first goal is to be competitive this year and to continue my career as a MotoGP rider also in 2021. Before doing so, I need to have some answers that only the track and the first few races can give me. I’m happy that, should I decide to continue, Yamaha is ready to support me in all respects, giving me a factory-spec bike and a factory contract. In the first tests, I will do my best to do a good job together with my team and be ready for the start of the season.”
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