We are coming to the end of this year and this is the time when the manufacturers' staffs will determine their plan for next season. Yamaha is no exception to the rule and the first file to be dealt with seems to be that of the test team. At the start of 2020, great ambitions were displayed and the recruitment of Jorge Lorenzo as a test driver was proof of this. Then the Coronavirus appeared, the pandemic declared, confinement established… The next world took hold, and it turned everything upside down.
A new situation which is not yet fully understood by Yamaha , but who called everything into question. The tests planned for this year could not be carried out and this is not the trial run of Lorenzo à Portimao on a 2019 version of the M1 which can be assessed as satisfactory at the time of assessment. Due to health crisis, the Japanese engineers were unable to travel to Europe as desired, the wild cards were canceled while the technical freeze decided until 2022 may make the usefulness of a strong test team less significant. Especially in a period where economic and social issues will be the collateral damage of health...
To be honest, what to do with a Jorge Lorenzo within the walls of Iwata? The Majorcan expressed his wish to continue his mission. What do you think Takahiro Sumi, team project manager Yamaha ? " The programming that we wanted to offer with Jorge was certainly different from that which was experienced » assures the Japanese. “ We wanted to be able to count on his experience for the tests planned in Europe, but this was not possible.. The leaders of the World Championship therefore decided to minimize travel due to the restrictions in force in different countries and we too, inevitably, had to adapt ».
“We don’t know who the test pilot will be”
« Jorge could have been very helpful to us, but he was only able to help us partially. Improving the bike during some testing sessions in Europe can be very useful, we hope this can happen in 2021. At the moment, however, we have not made any final decisions, either regarding his role or that of the rest of the staff ».
This is clear, and not really reassuring… “ For next season we will do as many tests as possible, even on European circuits. While it is true that it will not be possible to improve the engine, there will be many ways to go faster, and the M1 must be the best motorcycle in the world again. To achieve this, we will focus a lot on testing », nevertheless completed Takahiro Sumi, project manager of the Yamaha M1.
So let's go for the tests, but what about Jorge Lorenzo ? " We don't know who will be the pilot. “, said the Japanese surprisingly. “ At the moment we don't know “, he repeated. It will be recalled that, during this time, at Honda, we walk Andrea Dovizioso to be part of their trial team. At the house of Yamaha On the other hand, it is not obvious that Jorge Lorenzo will continue as a test pilot…
