MotoGP, Yamaha at an impasse: when the M1 turns its riders into passengers

Yamaha may sometimes shine in qualifying, as recently thanks to the exploits of Fabio Quartararo, but the reality in racing is quite different. At Aragon, Mugello, and Assen, the M1 has consistently exposed the same Achilles heel: a bike incapable of preserving its tires over the distance.

« We are having big problems in the raceIt was the same here as in Mugello and Aragon. ", entrusts alex rins, visibly resigned. We overheat the rear tire while tilting, and the electronics cannot prevent this sliding. We cannot stop it »

The observation is shared by Jack Miller, today at Pramac, which perfectly describes the vicious circle in which Yamaha is locked up:

« As soon as you get onto the sidewall, grip is very difficult. On most of the bikes I've ridden here, you can accelerate out of first and second gear and hold the throttle. With the M1, you're spinning all the time. From third gear onwards, the tire is already cooking on the sidewall »

Overheating then has a knock-on effect: loss of grip when accelerating, but also when entering bends, where the motorcycle becomes unstable.

Electronics, the black spot of the Yamaha M1

For Miguel Oliveira, also a pilot Yamaha via Pramac, the problem does not only come from the chassis or the engine: " we are behind in electronics. We are not the best at delivering power and avoiding wheelies »

Kidneys added: “ the temperatures come from the tire slippage. It's not that other manufacturers don't have this problem, but they manage to absorb the slippage »

In other words, if Yamaha fails to better control power transmission through electronics, no engine or aerodynamic development will be enough to solve the M1's deep-seated problem.

Beyond pure performance, these setbacks physically exhaust the drivers. Miller explains: " If you try to change direction or trajectory, the motorcycle struggles to keep up »

Kidneys is even more direct: " as soon as the tire becomes unusable, the motorcycle becomes a caravan, really heavy »

It is an implacable observation: without a quick solution, Yamaha risk of continuing to regress in the next races MotoGP summer where the heat further aggravates the problems of tire overheating.

The Iwata firm must absolutely find the key... otherwise it will be limited to a few brilliant performances in qualifying, with no hope of achieving anything in the race.