When Yamaha decided to leave the inline four engine project behind and go for the V4, it seemed that the problems they suffered were going to be solved overnight. But the new M1 is a completely new motorcycle and, to the frustration of the official riders, the results are not coming, and on top of that they are at a point of evolution very far from what they would like.
In fact, in the Buriram tests last weekend, they were at the back of the pack. And at one point Fabio Quartararo was seen losing his nerve and doing something to his motorcycle. In times when everything is recorded, there is no doubt that it was a controversial gesture. But beyond the fact, what is evident is the desperation that the Frenchman and the rest of his colleagues have with the project.
And Yamaha has gradually fallen from the top positions where it was very recently, and although the changes they have made are tremendous and could only be implemented a few years ago, the truth is that from the rider’s point of view it is frustrating.
At the end of the day Yamaha will continue to be Yamaha and will return to the top positions sooner or later, but for a rider with a relatively short sporting life, being in MotoGP only with the option of being filled is not viable.
Even so, after the warm-up and, surely, a talk in the box, Fabio has acknowledged that there is still a lot of work ahead and not only on the engine. Speaking with GPOne colleagues, he recognized precisely that, despite waiting for a new engine, there are several fronts:
«I think it will be an important step for our improvement, but we can’t get the bike to work well and we lack grip. Those are the main weak points. It’s true that we don’t have power, but, as I said, I find it difficult to take corners and make fast laps easily. In the race simulations I was at 1’30” high or 1’31” low, but it’s difficult for me. Miller himself has run in 1’32” in the long runs because the bike is slipping, so there are many things to improve.”
He also estimates that it will take the entire season to get the bike working properly: «I think it will take all year because we cannot find all the solutions in a short time. As a driver, I would like to fight for victories, or at least, like in the last championship, for pole position and the first row, but we are still far away, so we will have to do our best.”
The Yamaha has more weak points than the engine, but Fabio keeps pushing
Regarding what could be seen in Buriram, the still Yamaha rider commented: “Yesterday I was very frustrated. I would like to look competitive, but I understand that we are very far away and I don’t want to burn myself out mentally. I just want to do my job, be calmer and manage what I can, since always giving 100% is hard mentally.”
But the situation that Quartararo is experiencing is not preventing the Frenchman from showing his best side and worrying about his teammates, this is how he spoke about his visit to the Pramac box to talk to Toprak, asked if he gave him any advice:
«No, more like I went to see him because I imagine he must be mentally tough. In SBK he was always in the top three and here I have seen him discouraged. It has arrived at Yamaha’s most difficult time and it also has to manage the change of tire supplier. I told him that it is normal to have difficulties when you are debuting. He just needs time to get faster and feel more comfortable. For my part, I would have liked to have been told the same thing when I had difficulties in my first test in Malaysia. He is a good boy and I wish him the best. “A few words can help and I think it is positive for him.”
There is no doubt that Fabio is Yamaha’s greatest asset at the moment, and everything indicates that he will leave the factory at the end of the year. But in the meantime, it seems that the Frenchman will continue pushing with everything as usual since he arrived in the premier category.
