Fabio Quartararo gets Yamaha upgrade for 2020
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Fabio Quartararo will get a Yamaha upgrade for the 2020 MotoGP season by joining Petronas team-mate Franco Morbidelli on an ‘A-spec’ bike, can confirm.The French youngster has delivered a stunning rookie campaign with six podiums and four pole positions (plus eleven front-row starts), only losing out on a debut victory to world champion Marc Marquez after a last-lap battle in Misano and final turn showdown at Buriram.Currently sixth in the world championship, Quartararo is ahead of official Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi, has wrapped up the Rookie of the Year title and is leading the Independent rider standings.All that is despite Quartararo being on the lowest-spec M1, meaning some older parts and – until Buriram – 500rpm less than Morbidelli, plus Rossi and Maverick Vinales.The lower rpm was needed because Quartararo’s current bike package, thought adequate for what was expected to be a normal rookie ‘learning year’, involved having five rather than the full seven engine changes allowed by the MotoGP rules.The late season rev-rise was only possible because Quartararo had made his engines last even longer than expected earlier in the year. As such, the Frenchman went into the final five rounds requiring the same mileage-per-engine as the other M1s and Yamaha therefore gave the green light to use the same maximum rpm.But stretching Quartararo’s engine mileage early in the season to restore rpm later in the year won’t be necessary in 2020; the Sepang team, title sponsor Petronas and Yamaha agreeing on an upgrade from the start of next year.Sepang team principal Razlan Razali confirmed to : “Fabio will get the same spec bike as Frankie next year. It wouldn’t make sense if he didn’t.”In other words, like Morbidelli, Quartararo will get a full 2020-spec M1 for the start of 2020, with further upgrades arriving not long after the official team during the season.All Yamaha riders are out of contract at the end of 2021, with Quartararo set to be a major target for numerous factories.Quartararo and Morbidelli made a perfect start to the team’s home Sepang round by being first and second in Friday’s opening practice session.
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