Yamaha's new Spanish rider Alex Rins has expressed his frustration over the M1's recurring braking issues. Despite Yamaha's apologies, Rins believes the Japanese marque still has work to do to provide him with a competitive bike.
alex rins, a six-time MotoGP winner, revealed that his team Yamaha apologized after the 2024 Solidarity Grand Prix in Barcelona. The statement follows a grueling season in which the driver battled recurring braking problems on his M1, finishing in 18th place in the standings with only 31 points.
« After what has been, if not the worst, at least one of the worst races of my life, I spoke with Max Bartolini and Massimo Meregalli. They apologized for not being able to solve this problem. ", told Kidneys on crash.net. He describes his main obstacle: the lack of rear contact when braking. All season long, I struggled to get rear contact. When you don't have this, the bike doesn't brake, you miss your lines, or worse, you overheat and destroy the front tire. »
Alex Rins: “ The bike is aggressive, it moves a lot. We have to adjust the electronics »
During the post-season tests in Barcelona, Yamaha presented several new features, including a new engine and an improved chassis. With this new chassis I could keep more speed in the middle of the corner. It was a small improvement, but not enough on braking ", has explained Kidneys.
On the other hand, the new engine, although more powerful, still proves unsuitable for his riding style. The bike is aggressive, it moves a lot. We have to adjust the electronics, but we didn't have enough time to work on it »
Despite these limitations, Kidneys remain confident. “ With the things we are going to test, it will not be a revolution, but a small step of 5 to 10%. » The factory Yamaha nevertheless seems determined to transform this modest progress into a real step forward for 2025, thus reinforcing the hope of a more competitive season.