Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo has exited the first pre-season test at Sepang after just a handful of laps due to injury sustained in an early crash.
Quartararo - who has been reported as having signed a Honda deal for 2027-28 this off-season so could be entering his final campaign with Yamaha - "lost it pretty straight" at the quick, sweeping Turn 5 left-hander at the Malaysian circuit. He suffered abrasions to his left arm and a broken finger on his right hand.
Despite this, he returned to the track after the midday break but only added 16 laps to his pre-crash total of eight before he and Yamaha called time on his programme for Sepang.
The missing test mileage will be a particular inconvenience giving that Yamaha is putting its new V4-engined bike - much changed over the winter from the late-2025 prototype - through its paces.
Quartararo did, however, run in the three-day shakedown that preceded the official test - permitted to do so by Yamaha's 'Rank D' concession status - so claimed he has ultimately "tested everything we had to test" at this point in time.
And he said he preferred to sacrifice the rest of the test in favour of the Thailand Grand Prix opener - and the test at Buriram preceding it - in order to allow his finger fracture to heal.
"The arm is a bit sore - but the finger is broken. So we decided to stop for the next two days of testing. I think it's for the best," he told MotoGP.com.
"Of course if it was the race weekend I could continue - but there's no sense to do two more days.
"A bit sad because I wanted to continue but I think also for the first race it's better - the arm is nothing really strange, but especially for my finger is better."
