Quartararo out of pre-season testing after breaking finger in crash

The first test sessions of the MotoGP season have been underway in Sepang this week as the riders took to the track to familiarize themselves with their 2026 bikes.

Quartararo, who finished the day's second session in ninth place overall, crashed out at Turn 5 during the afternoon with preliminary reports suggesting that he has suffered a broken finger.

While not an especially serious and relatively common injury, it will still need some time to recover and there is no way Quartararo will be able to perform and maximise test results over the remainder of the week.

Fortunately for Yamaha, test riders Andrea Dovizioso and Augusto Fernandez are in attendance at Sepang and can get some valuable data for the V4-powered YZR-M1. 

Quartararo already made headlines last week with the shock rumour that he could be departing his long-time colleagues at Yamaha for a move to rival Japanese manufacturers Honda.

Given Honda's solid performance throughout pre-season testing, including at last week's preliminiary Shakedown test, it seems as though the Frenchman has seen something in his crystal pearls that indicate it could be time to jump ship.

With sweeping regulation changes coming for the 2027 season, including a reduction of aero and engine power, many are anticipating a chaotic 'silly season' as riders scramble to position themselves aboard the best bikes for the coming future.

Now that he has officially withdrawn from the remainder of testing, Quartararo joins Jorge Martin and Fermin Aldeguer on the injured list as we await the season opener in Buriram, Thailand on 1st March. 

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