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He is the 2021 MotoGP world champion, the first Frenchman to achieve this. For this, Macron awarded him the knighthood of the Legion of Honor, the French republic's highest honor. He is also a surfer, a golfer, as flamboyant in following fashion as he is reserved in his private life, Fabio Quartararo is all this and more. Of Sicilian descent, "El Diablo" is also fluent in Italian, English and Spanish. He prefers the latter, almost the official language of the paddock, but still decides to humor us in the interview with Italian as he welcomes us into his office, "so I can practice," he tells us jokingly as he snacks. A latte, "without caffeine, I don't need it," is served to him by the hospitality staff on the desk separating the interviewee from his interlocutor. Another normal working Thursday for him in which interviews and appointments have been going on since morning. "He is too good to journalists," joked Maider Barthe, his press officer, with us when we asked her about the interview. That's indeed the impression, it's ten past six in the afternoon and Fabio still looks relaxed and helpful, the difficulties of the last few years with Yamaha don't seem to have dented the excellent temperament of the rider, fresh from a contract renewal.
On the track from a very young age of 4, Fabio Quartararo at 14 was already the youngest rider to excel in the Spanish championship. The rules changed for him, and at not even 16 in 2015 he embarked on his path in Moto3. Only four years later he would put his wheels in the premier class for the first time with the Yamaha of the Petronas team, and in the same year he began to achieve his first podiums behind Marc Marquez. The consecration would come two years later when he won the title with the official Yamaha team, the first Frenchman to do so, thus interrupting the series of Spanish titles that had persisted since 2012, the years of Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, and most recently Joan Mir. Finally the arrival of aerodynamics and the Ducati era, and with it the difficult years for the Japanese manufacturers: the #20 is struggling to fight for the top positions, but the tuning fork manufacturer convinced him to stay, and after Valentino he is now the Yamaha man. The future of the Japanese brand now follows the indications of a French devil, whose undeniable talent on the track makes him one of the great absent protagonists in these latter years of MotoGP.
Fabio's season began with his investiture as a knight of the Legion of Honor by Macron.
"Yes, it was special," Fabio began, "in motorcycle racing there is no one else to have received this honor, other riders to have received it are only in Formula 1 (Alain Prost) and in Rallying (Sebastien Loeb), so it was a top start to the season let's say."
The comparison comes easy, but a MotoGP rider handles a lot more horsepower.
"Although a few more horses wouldn't hurt to go faster," jokes the Frenchman, "but at least we got some satisfaction this year."
Not just a motorcycle racer but a multifaceted character with many interests and passions, you go from surfing to golf, and you are a great lover of fashion and sports cars. Who is Fabio Quartararo today?
"I'm a rider, but I always love to have different experiences, I'm hyperactive and I always need to do something different, besides training of course. In general, however, I think I am a very easy and natural person."
Some people on social media show up with their resume of achievements, you simply describe yourself as "a cool guy."
"For me it all has to be natural, I don't change regardless if I am with people I don't know or with friends, I try to always remain myself and I think people like that."
At Silverstone you jokingly stated lately that you feel more like a tester than a rider.
"That's actually the case lately. I come from two days of testing in Misano, we are trying a lot of things but at the end of the day we are still looking for a base on our bike that is still missing. We don't have a real base yet. There was a few races where Rins was injured, and also Cal couldn't do some testing, so I was on my own trying a bunch of things, I really felt like I was halfway between a rider and a tester. I really hope we can find a solution soon."
Despite the difficulties of these years, however, you chose to stay at Yamaha, which was not such a foregone conclusion. Many people thought that you would be among the strong pieces of the rider market. What convinced you were the promises of the Japanese manufacturer, now arrived at mid-season and what has this commitment translated into?
"First of all , we changed our mentality, took some time and started to think like a European brand. It was not an easy decision in the beginning, but now we definitely work better. We do things faster, for example on aerodynamics we have made important steps forward. The difficulties of course remain, we struggle especially with grip. The day we can solve this problem the leap forward will be great. Then there is the engine, we have tried different versions of it but the base still hasn't reached 100 percent. In the Misano tests we tried one that I like so I think now from Japan it will be time to get to work on that."
You have also put a lot of personal effort into Yamaha in recent months, you have named several riders you would have liked in the project, and with the arrival of the Pramac team next year your bet to stay is starting to pay off. How much influence do you have on decisions within Yamaha?
"I don't know how much impact I really have, however, I am pushing for everything I can. The test team for example is something I've been pushing a lot on, because at the end of the day it's normal to see what others are doing, and when you see KTM fielding riders like Pedrosa and Pol... but that's also the case with Ducati and Aprilia, which also have four factory bikes. So it's clear that a satellite team was essential. I don't know if I contributed but I certainly pushed to get a number of things from Yamaha and that was also one of the motivations for me to stay. This is my sixth season with them, my fourth in the factory team. They have given me this opportunity and they know I am the most experienced rider on this bike, so I also know what I need to get back to being fast, and they have confidence in that."
You're kind of following in the footsteps of Valentino Rossi, whose place you took in the factory team, he also stayed loyal to Yamaha for many years and now the Yamaha man is you.
"It's something that gives me pride, when I was a kid this was my dream team. So now it's strange, because Yamaha has always been one of the two most successful teams, whereas now we are struggling. However, I think all brands have gone through difficult times, as it was also for Ducati from 2007 to 2022 before winning the world championship with Pecco. So we hope to be competitive again as soon as possible."
The most difficult moment of this period?
"Last season was really difficult, going from fighting for the championship to not going beyond P10 in every race was frustrating. We've worked a lot since then, although even this season there have been some frustrating moments, that's normal. I am a person who likes to be fast, and it is not always easy to keep calm and manage frustration. So you have to try to be objective and see the things that work best instead. Perhaps the biggest difficulty is just maintaining this calm and communicating with the team as best as possible."
Many people think you are one of the great absent protagonists in MotoGP in recent years. What do you miss most, the speed itself or also the chance to pit yourself again some of the top riders?
"In the end the two things are different but they are related. I miss the speed to fight with them, I miss the pleasure of fighting with riders like Bagnaia and Bastianini. I never fought with Martin, who last season proved to be one of the strongest. So yes, I miss all that, but I made the decision to stay here, it was a challenge but I like it and I feel good with Yamaha. I know it will be a long road, in the next two years the work ahead of me with this team will be important."
If Yamaha's problems were solved tomorrow, who would you want to fight with?
"With whom I don't care," he answers dryly but with a smile, "whether it's Marc, Pecco, Martin or Bastianini, I want to be back fighting in the top positions."
For this, however, there will have to be a wait. Pecco at Mugello sported a Kiss helmet, rock being his soundtrack. What music does El Diablo ride to instead?
"Everything but definitely not rock'n'roll," Fabio replies amused. "In my top ten are mostly American rap, reggaeton and of course French rap."
Also helping you in this pursuit of competitiveness are your relationships with other riders, including many in the smaller classes. You are like a big brother to them.
"Especially with Tony Arbolino I have a special relationship. We have known each other for 15 years and I have a really good relationship with him. I think he is ready for MotoGP even if he had some more difficulties this year than last season. This relationship is one of the things I appreciate the most, it is not easy to make friends in this environment. Of course I have respect for all riders but there are few real friends. That's why if he came to MotoGP for me it would be the best."
Like any champion, you have a wealth of trophies and memorabilia. What are you most attached to?
Quartararo takes his time, in his mind you can almost see trophies and memories flowing: "It's complicated to choose one because I also went through so many difficult moments, there are some trophies that give me more emotion than others. Obviously the trophy from when I won the title is very important, but when I see my first podium in Barcelona in 2019 (behind Marc Marquez, ed.)... as well as those in Misano and Thailand in the same year. More than the trophy itself, it is the memories they are associated with that are important."
If you think back to your past self, what would you tell him?
"I think back to the two-year period of 2016 and 2017. In those years I was full of self-doubt. I was injured but then things got better. I would tell myself to believe in myself, that's the only way to be in front."
But what if you could ask something of your future self instead?
Fabio thinks about it for a moment and comes back jokingly, "About myself I don't know, certainly I would like to know when we will be back with Yamaha."
