Fabio Quartararo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fabio Quartararo
Quartararo at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix
Nationality	French
Born	(1999-04-20) 20 April 1999 (age 26) Nice, France
Current team	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
Bike number	20
Website	FabioQuartararo.fr
Motorcycle racing career statistics MotoGP World Championship Active years 2019– Manufacturers Yamaha Championships 1 (2021) 2024 championship position 13th (113 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 120 11 32 20 13 1191 Moto2 World Championship Active years 2017–2018 Manufacturers Kalex (2017) Speed Up (2018) Championships 0 2018 championship position 10th (138 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 36 1 2 1 1 202 Moto3 World Championship Active years 2015–2016 Manufacturers Honda (2015) KTM (2016) Championships 0 2016 championship position 13th (83 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 31 0 2 2 0 175

Fabio Quartararo (born April 20, 1999) is a French motorcycle racer. He is known by his nickname, El Diablo. Fabio races in the top class of motorcycle racing, called MotoGP. He rides for the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team. In 2021, he became the first French rider to win the MotoGP World Championship.

Before joining Grand Prix racing, Fabio won six Spanish junior championships. He won the CEV Moto3 titles in 2013 and 2014. Because he was so successful at a young age, many people thought he would achieve great things. Some even compared him to the famous champion Marc Márquez. He set many age records as he moved up through the racing levels.

Fabio then raced in the Moto3 and Moto2 World Championships. He did not win a championship in these classes. However, he moved up to MotoGP with the Petronas Yamaha SRT team. In 2019, he was named "Rookie of the Year." He earned seven podium finishes and placed 5th overall. In 2020, he won three races. For the 2021 season, Quartararo joined the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. He replaced the legendary Valentino Rossi. In his first year with the factory team, he won the championship. He achieved five victories and ten podiums that season.

About Fabio Quartararo

Fabio Quartararo was born in Nice, France. His family is originally from Sicily, Italy. His father, Étienne, was also a motorcycle racer. He competed in the 250cc class in 1986. In July 2022, Fabio was given a special award. He became a knight of the Legion of Honour, a very important award in France.

Racing Journey

Starting Out in Racing

Fabio began his racing career in France when he was just 4 years old. Later, he moved to Spain to compete in the Promovelocidad Cup. This series was for young riders. He won championships in the 50cc class in 2008, the 70cc class in 2009, and the 80cc class in 2011. Before moving to the Moto3 series in Spain, Fabio won the Mediterranean pre-Moto3 class in 2012. This was also known as the Spanish domestic championship.

CEV Repsol Championships

In 2013, Fabio joined the Moto3 class of the CEV Repsol series. He rode a Honda for Wild Wolf Racing. In his very first race, he finished second in wet conditions. He ended up tied for the championship lead early on. Fabio finished the season very strongly. He won the last three races from pole position. He became the first non-Spanish rider to win the title since 2007. At just 14 years old, he was the youngest champion ever in that series.

Fabio Quartararo racing in 2014

Fabio stayed in the CEV Repsol championship for the 2014 season. He was not old enough to join the World Championship yet. A rule said riders had to be 16 to compete in a Grand Prix. He continued to ride a Honda. He joined the Estrella Galicia 0,0 junior team. Fabio had an amazing season. He won nine out of eleven races. He finished second in the other two races. He won the championship by a huge 127 points.

Fabio's great performances caught the attention of the World Championship. In August 2014, the rules changed. The champion of the FIM CEV Moto3 championship could now compete in the Moto3 World Championship the next season, no matter their age. This meant Fabio could move up!

Moto3 World Championship

Estrella Galicia 0,0 (2015)

Fabio Quartararo in 2015

Fabio joined the Moto3 World Championship in October 2014. He stayed with the Estrella Galicia 0,0 team and rode a Honda. In his first race in Qatar, he qualified in sixth place. He was part of the leading group for the whole race. He finished in seventh place, very close to the winner. In Austin, Texas, he got his first podium, finishing second. He earned his first pole position in Spain. He also got pole position at his home race in Le Mans. However, he crashed out of that race.

Fabio got another second-place podium finish in Assen. He was in the lead group for the entire race. In September, he crashed during practice in Misano. He broke his right ankle and missed several races. He tried to return for the Japanese Grand Prix but had to withdraw due to pain. Fabio finished the season in tenth place.

Leopard Racing (2016)

In 2016, Fabio moved to the Leopard Racing team. Many people thought he would win the title that year. This was because of his strong rookie season and because Leopard Racing had won the previous year's title. However, 2016 was a tough year for Fabio. He finished 13th in the first three races and then crashed in Spain. His best result was a fourth-place finish in Austria. He did not score points in six races.

Moto2 World Championship

Pons Racing (2017)

Fabio moved from Moto3 to Moto2 in 2017. He joined the Pons Racing team. In his first Moto2 race in Qatar, he finished 7th. His best result that season was 6th place in San Marino. He finished the year in 13th place in the championship standings.

Speed Up Racing (2018)

For 2018, Fabio switched to the Speed Up Racing team. He achieved his first-ever Grand Prix victory in Catalunya. In the next race in Assen, he finished 2nd. However, the rest of his season was difficult. He did not get any more podiums. He finished the championship in 10th place.

MotoGP World Championship

Petronas Yamaha SRT (2019–2020)

2019 Season

Fabio Quartararo at the 2019 Spanish Grand Prix

In August 2018, it was announced that Fabio would join the new Yamaha satellite team, Petronas Yamaha SRT, in 2019. He was supposed to ride an older Yamaha bike. However, Yamaha gave him a factory-spec Yamaha, which was a better version.

He earned pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix. This made him the youngest-ever pole sitter in the MotoGP class. He also got pole position in Catalunya, where he finished second. He then got pole position in Assen, setting a new lap record. This made him the youngest rider with two pole positions in a row in MotoGP history. He finished third in Assen. At the Sachsenring, he qualified second but crashed during the race. This was his first race crash in his rookie MotoGP season. Fabio earned more podiums that season. He finished third in Austria and second four times in San Marino, Thailand, Japan, and Valencia. He started from pole position in Thailand, Malaysia, and Valencia. Fabio finished his first MotoGP season in 5th place overall. He had 7 podiums and 6 pole positions.

2020 Season

The 2020 season started later than usual. At the first race in Jerez, Fabio qualified on pole position. He then went on to win his first-ever MotoGP race. He had briefly dropped to 5th place at the start. In the second race in Jerez, Fabio again qualified on pole and won. This time, he led from the beginning. After some tough races, his early championship lead disappeared. He won his third race in Catalunya to take back the championship lead. At the first Aragon race, he injured his hip in a crash during practice. However, he was cleared to race and took pole position. Due to pain and tire issues, he dropped back in the race and finished 18th.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP (2021–Present)

2021 Season

After his rookie season, Yamaha Factory Racing announced that Fabio would replace Valentino Rossi starting in 2021. He would get full factory support for his last season at Petronas Yamaha SRT.

Fabio started the 2021 season with a fifth place and then a win in Qatar. Two weeks later in Portimao, he got pole position and won his second race of the season. He took pole again in Jerez. He was leading the race easily but then had arm pump problems. He dropped back and finished 13th. After surgery, Fabio got pole position in Le Mans. This was his third pole in a row. During the race, it started to rain. Fabio switched bikes but got a penalty for going into the wrong garage. Despite the penalty, he finished his home Grand Prix in 3rd place.

Fabio took pole position for a fourth time in a row at the Italian Grand Prix. This weekend was sad because Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier died after a crash. Fabio won the race and dedicated his pole and win to Dupasquier. In Catalunya, Fabio took pole position for a fifth time in a row. This had not happened in MotoGP since 2014. He finished 3rd but was moved to 4th after a penalty for taking a shortcut. He then got another penalty for riding with his leather suit open. This moved him to 6th place. Fabio continued to build his championship lead. He finished 3rd in Germany, won in Assen, and finished 3rd in Spielberg.

Fabio won his fifth race of the season in Silverstone. With two second-place finishes in Rimini and Austin, he had a 52-point lead. There were only three races left. In Misano, Francesco Bagnaia was leading with five laps to go but crashed out. This meant Fabio won the championship with two races still remaining!

2022 Season

Fabio Quartararo at the 2022 San Marino Grand Prix

At the start of the 2022 season, Fabio had some difficulties with his bike. He finished 9th in the first race. He got pole position in Mandalika. This was his only pole position in 2022. He won three races before the summer break. These wins were in Portugal, Catalunya, and Germany.

By the end of the season, he had 248 points and 8 podiums. He finished second in the championship behind Francesco Bagnaia. Fabio had a 91-point lead after the German Grand Prix. However, Bagnaia made a great comeback to win the title.

2023 Season

On June 2, 2022, Fabio signed a contract to stay with Yamaha for 2023 and 2024. He got his first podium of the 2023 season in the Americas. He earned two more podiums later in the season in India and Indonesia. He finished the season in 10th place in the rider standings. He was ahead of his teammate, Franco Morbidelli.

2024 Season

Fabio started the 2024 season with an 11th place finish in Qatar. In Portugal, he finished 9th in the sprint race and 7th in the main race. In the USA, he finished the main race in 12th place. At the German Grand Prix, he finished 11th. The 2024 season was tough for Yamaha. Fabio finished the season in 13th place overall.

2025 Season

On April 5, 2024, Fabio signed a contract extension with Yamaha for 2025 and 2026. The first four races of the 2025 season were difficult for him. However, he bounced back at the Spanish Grand Prix. He got pole position and finished 2nd. This was his first podium since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix. He then got two more pole positions in a row at the French and British Grand Prix. Unfortunately, Fabio crashed out of the French Grand Prix in wet weather. He also did not finish the British Grand Prix due to a bike problem. Another crash in Aragon meant he had three main race non-finishes in a row. This was the first time this had happened in his MotoGP career.

Career Statistics

FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing: By Season

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing: By Class

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing: Races by Year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

* Season still in progress.

Personal Life

Fabio Quartararo lives in Andorra.

See also

In Spanish: Fabio Quartararo para niños