Fabio Quartararo won the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, becoming the first French rider to win the premier-class title.
Quartararo secured the championship at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with two races still remaining. Riding for the factory Yamaha team, he won five races and collected ten podiums during the season. His consistency gave him a decisive points advantage over Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, while reigning champion Joan Mir finished third overall.
The achievement was significant beyond Quartararo’s personal breakthrough. France had produced successful Grand Prix racers, including Christian Sarron and Johann Zarco, but no French rider had previously captured the premier class, known as 500cc before it became MotoGP in 2002. Quartararo was also the first non-Spanish premier-class champion since Australia’s Casey Stoner in 2011.
A common mix-up is confusing the 2021 MotoGP title with Quartararo’s earlier junior-class results. He had not won a Moto3 or Moto2 world championship; his first world title came in MotoGP. His breakthrough season also made him Yamaha’s first champion since Jorge Lorenzo’s 2015 title.