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Yamaha Rebukes Quartararo Over Attitude and Points to Miller as the Benchmark
Senior Yamaha figures have hit back at Fabio Quartararo after the Frenchman refused to continue development work on the V4, urging him to match the professionalism shown by Jack Miller.
By Nadia van Leeuwen - 2026-09-01 12:56:33.000 - 2 min read
Yamaha’s deteriorating relationship with Fabio Quartararo has spilled into the open, with senior team management publicly admonishing the former world champion after he declared he would no longer assist in developing the bike. Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, Yamaha figures Paolo Pavesio and Massimo Meregalli rejected the Frenchman’s recent complaints, urging him to look at Jack Miller as the standard for professional commitment in difficult circumstances.
The rebuke follows Quartararo’s announcement at the Aragon Grand Prix that he would cease development duties for the manufacturer for personal reasons. Having already signed with Honda for 2027 after holding no discussions about extending his Yamaha stay, the 2021 world champion has grown increasingly exasperated with Yamaha’s new V4 machine, arguing that little progress has been achieved since its debut last year. The dispute escalated when Yamaha refused to let him sample Pirelli tyres after the Austrian Grand Prix, a decision Quartararo considered unjust given his development workload.
Management saw the matter differently, arguing that the rider’s grievances have clouded his perspective. Pavesio told L’Equipe that Quartararo regularly laments the machine's slow evolution, yet simultaneously attacks the test programme whenever asked to evaluate fresh components, claiming the extra work causes him to lose his way. While acknowledging that Yamaha remains behind its rivals, Pavesio insisted the factory is pushing hard to close the competitive gap.
Meregalli took an even firmer stance, directly contrasting Quartararo’s reaction with that of Miller, who has continued to assist development despite losing his place on the grid. Calling on the Frenchman to follow the Australian’s example, Meregalli emphasised that Miller consistently delivers total commitment and preserves garage morale when running into trouble, rather than letting frustration dictate his approach.
Yamaha is preparing to field incoming riders Toprak Razgatlioglu and Izan Guevara at the forthcoming Austrian test, maintaining that barring riders headed elsewhere is standard practice across the paddock. Meregalli pointed to rival stables withholding future machinery from departing names, though that policy has not been applied everywhere. KTM notably chose to run Ducati-bound Pedro Acosta on Pirelli tyres and 850cc equipment to capitalise on his pace and feedback, while Honda has also granted track time to its race riders.