But how will Fabio Quartararo fare in this 2022 MotoGP season with this Yamaha? The five-day offseason demonstrated that he was thrown out to pasture in an arena that has perhaps never been so hostile without the slightest advantage to put forward. Honda has completely revised its copy, Ducati is fine-tuning its already close to perfection, Aprilia has one foot in the big leagues and Suzuki shows that an in-line four-cylinder is not inevitable. Only KTM which still has a lot of work to do can console a Yamaha factory which has given the impression of having taken a sabbatical. The Frenchman will only have to rely on himself...
fabio quartararo whip and remain politically correct, but he is also obliged to note the obvious. “ What's disappointing is that with so much time to develop the engine, we have nothing ", declared the Frenchman at the end of the last day of testing in Indonesia. " I don't understand why on any track we are always on average 10 km/h slower » El Diablo will be forced to repeat last year's scenario to succeed: starting from pole position will be necessary, resisting the onslaughts of Marquez and Ducati will be a difficult task. The answer to the value of the M1 will probably come Qatar. Traditionally, the opening of the season is favorable for Yamaha : if this were not the case, it would be like the announcement of a very complicated year to endure.
Certainly, the World Champion finished second to Mandalika thanks to a final assault on the clock. But the lack of top speed improvement remained a concern. The Frenchman expressed satisfaction with his speed on the worn tires, but something is missing with the new soft tires. “ We need to know why ". That's what Quarterly said on the second day. But on day three, number 20 said he felt “ carefully » as testing drew to a close, showing a smile, even though he and the team expected more from the new engine.
Honda has come out of its shell while Yamaha remains in its bubble
To preserve his chances, he will absolutely have to qualify on the first two lines. However, nothing will be more complicated. Otherwise, he will not be able to assert his main asset thatAndrea Dovizioso, always as surgical in his analyses, thus identified: “ Fabio makes the difference in changes of direction, he drives like crazy » assures Dovi. “ It's so responsive, it accelerates forward and prepares the bike better for corner exits ". To play like that, you have to be alone in front. With this Yamaha , it will not be simple because the Frenchman said it: it is already 100%. of his abilities. Gold, bagnaia, in the same evaluation of his machine, estimated that his Ducati GP22 was only 85%. of what she can give. And it’s already very fast…
Now this story of a Yamaha sluggish is nothing new when talking about the M1. Any rider who has raced at a certain level with Yamaha, both in 500 and 250 and even in Superbike can confirm this: at Iwata, they have always produced balanced bikes. Rideable motorcycles, with substantial performance integration between engine and chassis, but rarely brilliant in terms of power or top speed. Moreover, Yamaha has always tended to sit on its laurels when there was a driver in the team who could really make a difference.
When we recall this historical data, it is not surprising to note that Yamaha does not invest in a new engine. It now remains to be seen whether this traditional line is still tenable in a MotoGP modern where Ducati rewrote the technical requirements. Honda responded to this question by admitting to being “ out of his shell » to offer a completely revised RC213V. The verdict of Qatar, on the evening of March 6, is definitely eagerly awaited…
