Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Targets Comeback Under the Lights in Lusail – MotoGP 2025
The 2025 MotoGP World Championship heads into Round 4 this weekend at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins are aiming for strong results in what will be the final overseas round of the season—held under the floodlights in MotoGP’s signature night race.
Quartararo currently sits tied for 12th in the standings. Though Lusail hasn’t consistently been a strong venue for him, he claimed victory at the Doha GP in 2021, proving the potential is there. Following promising developments with the bike setup in the previous round at Austin, he plans to continue with a similar configuration to deepen data comparisons and build on that progress.
Rins, tied for 15th in the standings, has past success at Lusail—earning a podium in Moto3 back in 2013 and finishing fourth in the MotoGP class in 2019. He’s set to build on his setup from the Americas GP, with the aim of securing more championship points.
Lusail joined the MotoGP calendar in 2004 and has hosted the championship’s only night race since 2008. The circuit is known for its flowing medium- to high-speed corners (6 left, 10 right), as well as its over-1km main straight and sharp Turn 1—making it a prime venue for overtaking action.
Team Manager Massimo Meregalli:
“We can approach Qatar by building on the performance we showed at COTA. Without the crash on the sighting lap and a few other issues, I believe we could have achieved even better results. Still, we felt clear improvements in the M1’s performance, and we’re confident we can move forward from here. Lusail should suit the characteristics of our bike, so we’re hoping to keep the momentum going.”
Fabio Quartararo:
“Lusail has always felt like the first track of the season, but with the calendar changes this year, it feels like it’s been a long time since we last came here. Plus, we didn’t have any pre-season testing here, which makes it even more unfamiliar. I expect it’ll be hotter than last year’s GP, so we’re ready for a tough and long weekend. While we didn’t quite get the results we hoped for in Austin, there were positives—especially in the Sprint. I think this weekend will be another challenge, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Álex Rins:
“We’re still working to find the ideal setup, but we’ll start from the base we had in Austin and keep pushing forward. Lusail is a track where tire degradation is a big factor, so we’ll need to keep that in mind. But I’m feeling motivated and fully focused on the task ahead.”
(Photo courtesy of Yamaha)