What Yamaha sees in Rins despite his injuries

The doubts generated by the performances of Álex Rins since his return from a second leg fracture in two years contrast with the confidence placed in him by Yamaha. The manufacturer recruited him last year when he was convalescing, then bet on him again by extending him until 2026 while he is still hampered by the consequences of his injuries. If we assume that no MotoGP team wants to make life difficult for itself, especially when it comes to a factory that has won multiple titles, logic leads us to believe that there is a good reason so that Yamaha has thus kept a rider who raises more questions than certainties.

These doubts are not due to his talent, which has been largely proven throughout the eight years that Rins spent in MotoGP, punctuated by six victories and 18 podiums. They come, however, from the limitations that the Spaniard could have in his driving and, consequently, from the potential impact of his injuries on his results since his serious accident at last year’s Italian GP. He then broke his right ankle and tibia in a fall during the sprint race. Subsequently, Rins had to undergo multiple operations to try to regain full possession of his abilities and was only able to return to competition after four months.

There is, obviously, never a good time to have an accident, but this one came at the worst time for the Catalan, when he had shortly before won the GP of the Americas on a Honda with which only Marc Márquez seemed capable of winning, and while the transfer market was in full swing. At the time, it may have seemed surprising that Rins was recruited by Yamaha, especially since he could not give any guarantees about his physical condition when signing his contract.

If this recruitment had already raised questions, the renewal of his contract two months ago further divided opinions. Rins was once again injured after a heavy fall in Assen. This caused him a new fracture in his left leg, already heavily impacted last year, and two others in his right wrist, the one that controls the accelerator, which forced him to give up his participation in the races in Germany and in Great Britain.

At that point in the season, Rins had accumulated a total of eight points from eight Grands Prix, with his best results being 13th places at Portimão and Jerez, which contrasted with the 39 points of his teammate, Fabio Quartararo, already seen twice in the top 10 and even three times in the sprint race points. Now adding his precarious physical condition, it was difficult to imagine Rins breaking through on the M1, and yet Yamaha has indeed reaffirmed its choice to collaborate with him. Not for one year, but two, until the end of 2026.

At this point, a question arises: what does the Japanese brand see in him? The question might seem inappropriate, however the pilot himself considers it relevant given his recent statistics. “The reflection is appropriate because I have not yet been able to demonstrate my full potential in racing. It would be very egocentric to throw flowers at me, but the comments I make must certainly be useful [à Yamaha]just like my method when it comes to evaluating specific parts on the motorcycle”, entrusts Álex Rins to Motorsport.com when asked about it.

Even today, he maintains that his recent accidents do not impact his ability to perform. Since his return from injury, he has entered the points twice and obtained his first top 10 with the Yamaha, but has only scored 12 points compared to 37 for Quartararo. Penultimate in a particularly grueling Grand Prix in Japan, he appeared particularly frustrated and wanted to emphasize that his lack of performance was not due to his physical condition.

Yes, obviously he has been limping since his injury last year, however he insists that these after-effects are absolutely not the cause. “People are starting to make incorrect assumptions. If my right leg was like the left, my results would be the same. On the bike, it doesn’t affect me at all,” he assures.

At Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki, unanimous support

Rins can count on the support of Quartararo at Yamaha, which has all the more weight since, logically, the Frenchman would be the first to want to beat him since he is his teammate. “What does Yamaha see in Álex? Well, six wins, podiums and a third place in the 2020 world championship. And then, he is a fast rider, one of the fastest, even if these In recent years he hasn’t had much luck because he has suffered significant injuries. analyzes the 2021 champion.

Davide Brivio, for his part, has never hidden the fact that he appreciates Álex Rins, as evidenced by the fact that he recruited the Spaniard to Suzuki to make his debut in MotoGP in 2017 and that he then kept it until his own departure. “If Yamaha likes what it can offer, Álex can stay there for life. He is very good in his role as a developer,” explains the man who is today the team principal of the Trackhouse team.

Brivio knows what he’s talking about: in 2017, while Rins was making his MotoGP debut, Suzuki relied on the more experienced Andrea Iannone to choose the engine configuration to adopt for the season, but this choice was not made. the good one and would lead to a campaign without any podium for Suzuki, with a fall so brutal that it had earned the team then benefiting from concessions intended to help manufacturers in difficulty. Rins subsequently had a very well-regarded speech internally.

Lucio Cecchinello, another former boss of Rins in MotoGP, this time around a Honda, shares the opinion of Quartararo and Brivio: “Álex has a lot of experience, as well as great sensitivity and ability to develop the motorcycle. Let’s not forget that he spent many years at Suzuki, where his contribution to the development of the motorcycle allowed that to become world champion in 2020. He is someone who gives everything, he is a very valuable asset. When he is back at 100%, he will be of great help to Yamaha.

The surprise victory won by Rins in Austin last year, on behalf of the LCR Honda team, remains to this day the last for the manufacturer with the golden wing, proving if necessary to what extent Honda is in difficulty to return to the level . Yamaha must also thank its Japanese rival, because if it was able to afford the services of Rins, it is because Honda did not keep its promise to promote him as a factory rider.

“Álex didn’t want to leave Honda, but he felt betrayed and that’s why he left,” adds a source close to the Spanish pilot. The HRC’s lack of foresight therefore allowed its most direct competitor to seize a rider whose lack would then be particularly felt after Marc Márquez’s decision to leave for Ducati.

According to information from Motorsport.comYamaha would have even wanted to sign Rins from 2023 so that he would replace Franco Morbidelli earlier, however this option was not retained so as not to break the Italian’s contract. But now that Rins is linked to her until the end of 2026, Iwata’s brand says: “The desire to improve the M1 is a determining factor in understanding this renewal, as is the fact of recovering a satellite team for 2025.”

The brand has in fact launched several projects aimed at laying new foundations for a brighter future. It will find a satellite team next season, with the entry into the program of Pramac Racing and its two experienced drivers, Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller. Yamaha is also in the process of reshuffling its technical department, which began this year with the arrival of Max Bartolini as technical director, as well as the implementation of new protocols aimed at accelerating the development of the motorcycle, and all of this is starting to show positive signals.

Today, while several chassis and engine configurations have been evaluated and a V4 should make its test debut in the coming months, the working dynamic seems good at Yamaha. The opinion of a driver like Rins, with his sensitivity and experience, therefore probably justifies the fact that the brand continues to believe in him and its desire to extend his contract for two more years despite the injuries.

Avec Luca Bartolomeo