Fabio Quartararo’s pre-season preparations suffered an early setback after the Yamaha rider fractured a finger in a crash on the opening day of MotoGP testing at Sepang.
The 26-year-old went down at Turn 5 just over an hour into the collective test session in Malaysia while riding his Yamaha M1. Although he initially reported arm soreness and returned to the track later in the day, medical checks later confirmed a fracture to the middle finger of his right hand.
As a result, Quartararo has withdrawn from the remaining two days of the Sepang test in order to focus on his recovery.
Explaining the incident, the former world champion said he lost the front of his bike early in the corner, resulting in a heavy impact and a long slide through the gravel. While he avoided any loss of consciousness, the injury proved serious enough to end his participation in the test.
Source: Motorsports.com
Despite the setback, Quartararo showed resilience by returning for the afternoon session, completing 14 laps and setting a best time of 1m57.869s. He finished ninth overall and was the fastest Yamaha rider, five places ahead of Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller.
The absence comes at a difficult time for Yamaha, as the Sepang test is a key opportunity for teams to develop electronics, refine bike settings, and evaluate new components ahead of the season. With Quartararo sidelined, the manufacturer will lose valuable feedback from its lead rider.
However, Yamaha’s Group D concession status offers some relief. This allowed its riders to gain extra mileage during the recent Sepang shakedown test, where Quartararo had already completed important running on the latest version of the M1.
Quartararo remains optimistic about his recovery and has said his priority is to return fully fit for racing. Further medical assessments will determine whether surgery is required and how soon he can resume full training.
Yamaha and its fans will now hope for a swift recovery as the team looks to maintain momentum heading into the new MotoGP season.
