To avoid needing the approval of the rest of the members of the MSMA, the technical problem causing the engine failure faced by Yamaha would have to originate from an external part, that is- i.e. which can be changed without unsealing the engine. In this case, the agreement of the MSMA is not necessary, but is it possible in this case?
During the Austrian Grand Prix, Yamaha has officially requested the MSMA (the association which brings together all MotoGP manufacturers) to agree to open their engines due to their reliability problems. Remember that in Jerez, the engines of Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli broke down during the race. Maverick Viñales was luckier in his misfortune, as he suffered the same incident during free practice. But we know that these breakages were not a surprise, neither for the technicians nor for the pilots themselves. Before the start of the World Championship, they were aware of the engine problems.
In fact, pilots were advised to pay attention to their engines. It is probably no coincidence that Rossi and Morbidelli broke in the middle of a fight, while Fabio Quartararo, alone at the head of the race, had no problems. The driver from Nice declared after the race in Jerez: “As soon as I had a 3-second lead, I changed my mode to “less aggressive” to save tires. » …and undoubtedly preserve its engine. In any case, after the debacle at Jerez, the engineers from the Iwata firm have decided to reduce the maximum speed of their engines.
In Austria they finally asked the authorities to be able to resolve the technical problems without being penalized, given that, according to the regulations, the 5 engines allocated by pilots are sealed for the year. And this is the origin of the problem, since Yamaha claims that the breakages are the unfortunate consequence of the use of a defective engine component – in this case, the valves, internal engine parts – from a supplier, not a design error. Their request to open the engines would not be for profit but to correct a defect.
First, and in accordance with the settlement, to consider the petition, the other members of the MSMA want proof that these components are defective due to a manufacturing problem. To do this, they request an official document from Yamaha justifying an error in the manufacturing process – by the supplier – of these components. In other words, the other members of the MSMA want the supplier to publicly take responsibility for the problem, which, in publicity terms, is not great.
It must be remembered that for any agreement to come to fruition within the MSMA, unanimity of all manufacturers is required when voting, even when it comes to a safety issue. If a palliative solution can be found, the opening of the motors may be refused. This is an important aspect because Yamaha could insist that the failure of its engines during racing is dangerous for all competitors on the track due to the risk of oil loss, and thus its competitors are more lenient .
But one of the manufacturers – also Japanese – opposes this, arguing as follows: if reducing the maximum engine speed prevents the engines from breaking and allows Yamaha riders to race normally, then open the engines and change the So-called defective components are synonymous with an increase in performance, as this will automatically allow an increase in the maximum engine speed. You don't need to be a great lawyer to understand that the security argument previously invoked would not be applicable. It remains to be seen whether the reliability of the engines is proven with 300 rpm less than originally…
These same critics argue that while Yamaha faced a technical problem with their engines that forced them to reduce power, Suzuki and Honda have done so in the past, and had to overcome the situation by working on other areas of the engines. engines and motorcycles to compensate for these failures.
