Yamaha is not having an easy season and Fabio Quartararo believes that the Japanese manufacturer has a lot to improve if they want to be close to the current MotoGP level, while also lamenting the lack of a satellite team, crucial, especially at this stage where the category is.
In a recent interview with Motosan, Quartararo, the 2021 MotoGP world champion, expressed his concerns and observations about Yamaha’s performance and the challenges the team faced between 2022 and 2023.
Quartararo’s journey with Yamaha went from a title fight to a fight for points. A significant part of this decline can be attributed to various issues, including the lack of power from Yamaha’s inline four-cylinder M1 engine and the absence of a satellite team to provide additional data and… another motivation.
Looking at the first part of the championship, Quartararo said: ‘I didn’t like the first part of the championship at all. More than fun, it was a nightmare. This year has been difficult from the start because we asked ourselves a thousand questions. I asked myself, “Am I still fast?” We look at our way of riding, at the data from previous years, and we realize what we lack. It is clear that the riding is there, but many things are missing. What we lack in terms of riding and what is missing in the bike can be seen in the data. These are things that are noticeable as a rider, but are also evident on the computer.’
Despite Yamaha’s efforts to improve the M1, the bike continues to lag behind in terms of top speed, making it difficult for Quartararo to compete with the Ducati team. He acknowledged that while Yamaha has gained some speed, other teams have achieved similar or even greater gains. Quartararo believes that Yamaha has a greater margin for improvement in the engine department compared to other teams. He also recalled an example where Álex Rins, then at Suzuki, overtook Fabio Di Giannantonio on the finish straight, highlighting that despite bikes now being faster, in terms of speed, Yamaha is still far behind last year’s Suzuki.
