20-year-old Fabio Quartararo, who showcased extraordinary talent and skills in 2019 MotoGP season, has been given Rossi’s seat in the Factory Yamaha Team! The Satellite MotoGP star will race alongside Maverick Vinales for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
After just one victory in the Moto3 and Moto2 classes, Quartararo was given a dream MotoGP chance by the new Petronas Yamaha squad for 2019 and he fully utilised this opportunity and displayed his worth. He scored 7 podiums, 6 pole-positions, and gave the MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez some hard time in a couple of races!
Speaking about his new contract with Factory Yamaha Team, Quartararo said, “I‘m delighted about what my management has achieved in the last few months together with YMC. It was not simple to establish, but now I have a clear plan for the next three years and I‘m really happy.”
“I feel like the winter period is too long – I‘m really excited to go to the Sepang test next week to ride my new YZR-M1 and meet and work with my crew again. I want to thank YMC and Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team, who have given me the opportunity to enter the MotoGP class in 2019. I will give my all to do them proud again this year.”
Valentino Rossi, who has been a part of Factory Yamaha Team for many years and MotoGP seasons, didn’t have a fruitful season in 2019. There were instances when he crashed or didn’t gel with the M1. Rossi is one of the greatest MotoGP riders the motorsport has ever seen. Many have come and gone, but Rossi stayed. Perhaps, now is the time for him to depart?
As of now, no final decision has been made on his future but it is being speculated that either he will face retirement or switch to satellite Yamaha team.
About Quartararo replacing Rossi, Yamaha released a statement that said, ‘Yamaha and Rossi have mutually agreed that the personal decision whether the Italian will remain an active rider in the MotoGP World Championship in 2021 will be taken mid-2020.’
Source- Crash.net
