Alex Rins explains Fabio Quartararo's edge on other Yamaha MotoGP riders

Alex Rins has offered insights into his team-mate Fabio Quartararo’s incredible pace in the 2025 MotoGP season, revealing he is able to brake 20 metres later than other Yamaha riders.

In a year where Yamaha has mostly been the slowest manufacturer on the grid, Quartararo has managed to drag his M1 to strong results in both qualifying and race trim.

The Frenchman has scored four pole positions and started on the front row in exactly half the races so far, while also clinching two podiums across sprints and grands prix.

He has also been the only rider from the Yamaha contingent to continuously finish races inside the top 10, having scored more points than Rins, Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira combined.

How Yamaha's four riders compare in MotoGP 2025

*ignoring DNFs

Rins believes braking is the area where the 2021 champion holds the biggest advantage, allowing him to lap as much as eight-tenths quicker than the other M1 riders on a single lap.

The Spaniard explained that this braking strength contrasts with his own struggles, particularly on the soft tyre used in qualifying, leaving him with too much ground to make up in races.

Miguel Oliveira, Pramac Racing, Jack Miller, Pramac Racing, Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP

This point is underscored by the fact that Rins has progressed to Q2 on just four occasions in 2025.

“We really struggled a lot. Similar problems to other GPs,” he said after the Misano sprint, where he again used the soft rear tyre.

“I was really stuck there on the braking side. I could not brake more late, in comparison with Fabio who is braking 20 meters later than me.

“I saw the data of Oliveira and Miller. They are braking more or less the same as me. So it's where [Quartararo] makes the difference. It's where he puts us 0.8s on the fastest lap.

“As soon as we qualify in this way, P17, it's quite difficult to do the race. Because we don't have a lot of chances to overtake.

“But apart from that, we need to continue. We need to continue working, continue finding the way.”

Outgoing Pramac rider Oliveira also identified qualifying as his biggest weak point, stressing that he is happy with the pace he has been able to show in race trim.

Miguel Oliveira, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Mirco Lazzari GP - Getty Images

The Portuguese rider is yet to break into Q2 in 2025, although he did start 11th on the grid in the German Grand Prix after two of his rivals withdrew before the race.

“At the point where I am with the bike at the moment, realistically my position is between 13th and 10th,” he said. “Of course at some races, like we saw yesterday [in the San Marino GP], I can be inside the top 10.

“At the moment I am curious to see how much better I can do in the race if I qualify better. Because the [race] pace is quite good and it’s not so far away from Fabio. So actually I want to just focus on that [qualifying] at the moment.”

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont and Matteo Nugnes