Will the work put in this year, which seemed almost in vain until now, start to bear fruit at Yamaha, in MotoGP? This is the summary that we can make of the last two Grand Prix and in particular, after the Indonesian event. Because it has been a very long time since Fabio Quartararo fought in the top six and so close to the Ducati.
MotoGP: Motegi, the justice of the peace for Yamaha
However, looking closely at last year’s results, on this same Mandalika track, it seems obvious that this circuit is very suitable for Japanese motorcycles. So much so that a drop in power, in a few hours at Motegi, cannot be ruled out. So, let’s not get carried away and wait for the hypothetical confirmation, on the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix. Especially since at Yamaha, we expected better in Indonesia (last year, a podium rewarded the team’s efforts). The Team has obviously not optimized its machine.
However, Yamaha must also appreciate the result obtained a few days ago with the seventh place of Fabio Quartararo and the eleventh of Alex Rins. Indeed, the latter gained a place several hours after the checkered flag, due to a penalty inflicted on Takaaki Nakagami. The tire pressures did not comply with the authorized limit, concerning the Honda of Team LCR.
“It was a difficult race for our drivers“, exclaimed, then, Massimo Mergalli. “The conditions were already extreme, but apart from that, Fabio and Álex struggled to defend their position from the start of the race as we struggled to get the rear tire warm. Their pace gradually improved once the rear tire started working well, but it took a lot of laps to get the most out of it. We finished 7th and 11th, which isn’t too bad for a weekend where we struggled. But we can’t ignore that we weren’t as competitive as we hoped. So we’ll take a close look at today’s data to see what we can learn from it as we prepare for Yamaha’s home GP next week in Japan.”
“All weekend we couldn’t get the medium rear tire to heat up quickly. We lost a lot of seconds because of this at the start of the race. But the pace was really good. We opted for the hard-medium front, and I was able to brake very late and overtake, but I’m not very happy with the result. I was fast and finished closer to the drivers in front, which is positive. We work and improve step by step. We’ve been to Q2 two race weekends in a row and we’ve gotten 7th in the last two races, so we’re heading in the right direction. But rather than focusing on positions, I think we need to focus on our speed, and today we had good speed.” Fabio Quartararo.
Let’s go to Motegi, a circuit which could prove valuable, in order to validate – or not – the good results obtained recently. Because on paper, this route is not favorable to the Yamaha. Last year, El Diablo failed to make it to Q2, only finishing fourteenth on the grid. Before placing fifteenth in the sprint, the same day. Then, the next day, with the help of extreme weather conditions and a shortened race, the Frenchman crossed the line in tenth place.
Article published on 02/10/2024 at 11:55 a.m.
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