Alex Rins sees similarities between Fabio Quartararo’s approach to riding the Yamaha MotoGP bike and how Max Verstappen drives at Red Bull in Formula 1.
According to Rins, it’s not just talent that sets Quartararo apart from other Yamaha riders. The Frenchman has consistently been the team’s top performer ever since winning the 2021 title, and nothing really changed in 2025.
Rins doesn’t see anyone else on the grid who could get more out of this machine than Quartararo, who has won all of his seven Grand Prix races with Yamaha.
And despite no major upgrades coming over the years, Quartararo kept finding ways to win races on what was generally considered an underpowered machine at this level.
“No, I have no doubt that Fabio is a great rider,” he said when asked if there was a better option for this bike. “And he also manages his bike very well.
“But he can adapt very well and maybe today we didn’t see it because it was his first day on the bike [due to recovery from injury]. But I’m sure he’ll be a strong teammate throughout the year.”
Alex Rins doesn’t see anyone at Yamaha coming close to Fabio Quartararo’s results
Quartararo was always the most comfortable rider on the M1, having been with the machine since his debut in 2019 with Petronas SRT. The team is set to race a new version of the bike in 2026, switching from their inline four engine to a V4 setup.
Rins compared Quartararo’s control over Yamaha’s M1 to what Marc Marquez achieved with Honda between 2013 and 2019. Marquez won six MotoGP titles during that span, while Verstappen claimed four F1 titles for Red Bull from 2021-2024. Both did so while consistently outperforming their teammates.
“Fabio is a great rider, I have no doubt about it,” Rins told L’Esportiu. “He has managed to raise the level of Yamaha to a point that neither Jack Miller, nor Miguel Oliveira, nor I have been able to reach. He has clearly overridden the bike.
“But without taking any credit away from him, the bike is made for him. He has been part of Yamaha for seven seasons; he knows it better than us and has adapted year after year to its characteristics.
“It is the same as what happened with Marc Marquez and Honda, who had fellow riders like Jorge Lorenzo or Pol Espargaro, and Marquez was the only one who could win with that bike. Only he knew how to make it go.
“Going to other sports, it is the same as what happened in F1 with Max Verstappen,” Rins added. “Red Bull have tried Checo Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda but the only one who has won is the Dutchman.”
Fabio Quartararo’s point total outpaced all other Yamaha riders combined in 2025
Quartararo finished as the leading Yamaha rider in 2025, placing ninth overall with 201 points. Behind him were Jack Miller in 17th with 79 points, Alex Rins in 19th with 68, and Miguel Oliveira in 20th with 43. It was the first season on the M1 for both Miller and Oliveira after they joined from Pramac.
READ MORE: Fabio Quartararo’s MotoGP career highlights
Quartararo not only topped the individual charts but also finished with more points than his three Yamaha teammates combined. He was also the only one among them to claim a podium or pole position, finishing second at the Spanish Grand Prix where he secured the first of his five poles for the year.
Rins pointed out that Quartararo’s braking skills made a significant difference during races. Yamaha data indicated that Quartararo was eight-tenths quicker per lap compared to others on the same bike, often braking about twenty metres later than Rins himself.
The Frenchman’s influence at Yamaha draws parallels to Verstappen’s role at Red Bull since Daniel Ricciardo left. Verstappen scored 93% of Red Bull’s points in 2025, following up previous years where he consistently held a majority share of their total tally.
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