Fabio Quartararo's Yamaha engine fails in
Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo retired from the Aragon Grand Prix sprint race after a dramatic engine failure. The 2021 champion said he felt performance drop and knew a blow-up was imminent.
Fabio Quartararo was forced to retire from the MotoGP sprint race at the Aragon Grand Prix after his Yamaha engine failed spectacularly. The 2021 world champion stated he knew the failure was coming after experiencing a familiar drop in performance.
According to a report from Motorsport.com, Quartararo described a series of issues from the very start of the race. "Right from the start, I nearly stalled. I felt something odd," he said. The French rider then felt the engine's power diminish on the straight, a sensation he compared to a previous experience in Thailand. "So, I knew that at some point, it was going to blow up," Quartararo explained.
A Weekend of Struggle
The engine failure capped a difficult weekend for Quartararo at a circuit he finds challenging. He qualified in 17th position, over one second off the pace in the first qualifying session. His race was further compromised by a problem with his rear ride-height device at the start, which cost him time while other Yamaha riders made progress.
Quartararo was running in 16th place, outside the points, when his engine let go just before the halfway mark of the sprint. Heavy smoke billowed from his Yamaha M1, forcing him to stop on track.
Technical Troubles and Testing Focus
Yamaha had encountered engine failures with its new V4 design during pre-season testing, but this incident marked the first such failure during a race weekend in 2024. The manufacturer, classified as a Rank D constructor under MotoGP's concession system, is permitted to use up to 10 engines per rider this season. This is two more than most rival manufacturers are allowed.
When asked if the failed engine was an older unit, Quartararo expressed uncertainty. "To be honest, I don't know how many engines we have, but I think we don’t have so many left," he stated. "So I don't know if it was used or not. But I hope it was a high-mileage engine."
Yamaha brought several new parts to Aragon for evaluation, including a new chassis. Quartararo, however, was not satisfied with the overall package. "All weekend, the bike was really slow," he said. He described a weekend dominated by testing rather than pure performance hunting, switching between different bike configurations.
"We had to test a lot of things during the weekend," Quartararo explained. "So I jumped one bike, one another and it was more about testing than trying to find performance this weekend." His teammate, Jack Miller, finished the sprint race in 10th position.
