MotoGP star Fabio Quartararo extended his contract with Yamaha Motor Racing recently, opting to stay with the Japanese squad for two more years after the ongoing season.
Now, details about Quartararo's big money deal have come to light and reports from the paddock state that he will take home a basic salary of €12 million (roughly over INR 108 crore) in 2025 and in 2026.
Details about the performance-based bonuses structured into his contract have not been revealed, but high basic pay does make him the highest paid rider in the market currently.
Before he left Honda in favour of Gresini Racing at the end of 2023, Marc Marquez was the rider with the highest pay in MotoGP, getting paid €20 million (over INR 180 crore) per season.
Interestingly, Fabio Quartararo has decided to extend his tenure at Yamaha despite the team struggling since the second half of the 2022 season, when the Frenchman missed out on the opportunity to add a second title to his crown.
That said, Yamaha has committed to returning to winning ways and Quartararo believes in the project. The ace rider will likely share the garage floor with Alex Rins in 2025 as well.
Now that Quartararo is out of contention for the seat at Aprilia, could the Italian team poach Enea Bastianini who currently rides for the Factory Ducati squad?
That will depend on two things happening without a hiccup - Jorge Martin's much-deserved promotion to the factory team, and Fermin Aldeguer riding for Pramac Ducati in 2025.
