Fabio Quartararo missed out on delivering Yamaha’s best MotoGP result of 2024, as he ran out of fuel with just two corners remaining at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The rider qualified ninth during a weekend where he never finished outside the top ten. Quartararo demonstrated strong pace and took advantage of crashes ahead of him to move up to fifth in the race.

However, just as the finish line was within reach, his bike began to slow down as his M1 ran out of fuel. This allowed both Franco Morbidelli and Maverick Viñales to overtake him on the straight before the finish line.

Explaining the situation to the French broadcaster Canal+, Quartararo said: "I ran out of fuel at the second-to-last corner. We're already a bit behind in terms of engine power, and we're struggling to last in races while trying to maximize what we have. Whether we finish fifth or seventh doesn’t really change much for us. It’s our race pace that matters, but we’re still missing a lot."

Despite this unfortunate turn, Quartararo had been leading the non-Ducati riders, showcasing Yamaha’s gradual improvement after a tough start to the season. Quartararo has now secured two consecutive seventh-place finishes, while his teammate Alex Rins broke into the top ten in Aragon. Reflecting on Yamaha’s recent progress, the French rider said: “I had a one-second gap over Franky in the last sector. It was just a matter of finishing – just one straight, nothing more."

“But at least I know we were P5 before some [riders] crashed ahead, and that can happen to anyone. What’s important is that our pace was really fast today. We’ve now scored points in three sprint races in a row. Even last year, we didn’t do that, so I’m quite happy."

“I’ve been making good starts recently, and I hope we can carry that into the overseas races, which I think will be the hardest part.”