The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be another disappointment for Alex Rins and the Yamaha team. Grip problems once again weighed down the Spaniard’s performance, who finished far from the points. The difficulties encountered by Rins and Quartararo are indicative of the fundamental problems of the M1. Yamaha’s future in MotoGP will depend on its ability to find solutions quickly and become a major player in the championship again.
Alex Rins finished out of points during the
Japanese Grand Prixin 16th position, more than 40 seconds of the winner Francesco Bagnaia. Despite signs of improvement for Yamaha in Misano, where his teammate Fabio Quartararo had briefly been in the race for the top five, Motegi exposed the M1’s lingering weaknesses.
« This race was really difficult. I’m devastated,” confessed
Rins. « I did all the laps with a heart rate of 190, I gave it my allbut it was so hard. » After an encouraging first part of the race, the performances of his Yamaha declined. “ We chose the Austrian settings to improve braking and contact with the rear. And it was a little better at first, but
as soon as the tire started to fail, controlling the slip became almost impossible,” the pilot explained.
Alex Rins :
« I was spinning with the bike in a vertical position »
Rins described the challenges he encountered on the track: “ even on the straight, at the exit of turns 9 and 10, I was spinning with the bike in an upright position. The tire was flat in the center, and it made the situation out of control. » His frustration is palpable when he declares: “ I am not satisfied with our work. We have to find solutions, because this is not the right path. »
After the recent results of MisanoOr
Quarterly had shown potential by fighting for fifth place before running out of fuel,
Rins emphasizes that Motegi highlighted the “ harsh reality » of the current situation of Yamaha. « Misano, for Fabio, was a bit like Austin for me,” he said. “ He was fast there, but the result was not really realistic. »
Rins also observed that drivers from competing brands, like Nakagamiwere faster than the Yamaha in the last laps: “ when Marini passed me, I couldn’t follow him. This is the reality. The harsh reality. » With 20 points in the ranking of
championshiptied with Joan MirRins hopes that Yamaha will be able to meet the challenges encountered this season to regain a competitive level of performance.
MotoGP, Japan J3: classification
