Fabio Quartararo extended his contract with Yamaha for two additional years in the week leading to the US GP, and many began to compare his decision to stay with the struggling Japanese outfit to Marc Marquez's decision to leave Honda at the end of 2023, despite being contracted to the outfit until 2024.
Marquez claimed that he was not surprised when he heard that Fabio had decided to stay at Yamaha and acknowledged that comparisons between his exit from Honda and Quartararo's contract extension with Yamaha are being made.
But the Spaniard justified his decision to leave the Japanese outfit for which he raced between 2013 and 2023 by saying, "A lot of people have compared it to my situation, but Fabio has a lot more time than I had left."
Referring to the career-changing arm injury he suffered in Jerez in 2020 and the subsequent operations he had to undergo, Marquez said, "He (Quartararo) hasn't gone through a period like I did, with a very serious injury that even led me to doubt myself. That is fundamental."
Speaking about the reason why Fabio Quartararo decided to stay at the struggling Yamaha squad, Marc said, "When you are in a project in which you have been given a lot, and you are promised more, it is normal to have that patience and confidence that it will come. You have to have confidence and also luck because all the engineers work hard. The luck lies in finding the key that translates into a competitive bike."
