Fabio Quartararo's analysis of what he needs to be able to regain his title aboard a Yamaha has been clear since the start of the 2022 season, now to finish: we need a more powerful engine on the M1. It remains that the test pilot Cal Crutchlow sent another message recalling that historically, the Iwata brand had always managed thanks to the handling and good behavior of its chassis. A culture which would be lost according to the English who would like to return to its bases. The Frenchman therefore wants muscle and the test driver rather praises the skeleton. But the first mentioned reminds who is doing the season and what was promised to him to get him to sign a new two-year lease…
In an interview on speedweek, fabio quartararo reiterated its technical claims which involve a more powerful engine on its Yamaha . A mechanism which unfortunately did not manifest itself during the first test of the 2023 off-season at Valencia, leaving a very bad impression on both the official team and its spearhead. The 2021 World Champion recalls: “ we need to take this step and make our engine competitive again, but we also need to get back to the bike that was very good three years ago. This will allow us to fight for the world championship again. Otherwise, no chance ».
He adds : " we need to understand what happened to the new engine during the Valencia tests. It's crucial. We tested the engine in Barcelona and Misano and after both tests I was very happy, the feeling was positive. Yamaha made the engine even faster. Crutchlow tested it at three different tracks and it was clear that this second stage of the new engine was even better. In the Valencia test, however, we were on the same level as two days earlier in the race with the old engine. We will therefore have to analyze very carefully what happened, because next year will be very important, especially for me. And we must get back to the top ».
Fabio Quartararo: “ if something works, we want to have it right away and not after a month«
« I bet on Yamaha. They have made very important changes to improve the competitiveness of the bike, they have brought in new engineers and they are trying to make the mentality more Italian… If something works, we want to have it right away and not after a while. 'a month » further specifies the tricolor. “ That’s the mentality, I was assured, they want to go that route. This is why I extended my contract with Yamaha. Within two years they have to show me that these changes are going to happen ". Otherwise, we understand that there will be a sort of schism.
Given the stakes, there is no question of dispersing in Iwata. Fact, fabio quartararo warns that the theme of aerodynamic evolution is not the priority of the moment: “ I have never tested it in a wind tunnel in Japan. We have to test a lot in terms of aerodynamics, yes, but if we don't have an engine that pushes hard, we shouldn't even think about using downforces like Ducati, for example. If we don't have enough power, we will only get worse if we put some fins on our motorcycle ».
And he drives the point home by concluding: “ having power allows you to do a lot of things, like using those three giant fins. On tracks like Le Mans or Jerez, where you accelerate out of slow corners, it helps a lot, but the most important thing at the moment is to have more power, period ". Back to school Sepang in February will already be the moment of truth for the couple Quarterly-Yamaha .
