After five Grands Prix contested, and therefore ten races as part of the new format inaugurated in this 2023 MotoGP season, it seems certain at Yamaha that the engine power is better, but that it has unbalanced the rest of the M1. A motorcycle historically known for its great agility in corners and its great friendliness with its rider. Two major assets which are no longer in its game. Since then, Yamaha has been scrambling to recover them. However, this development initiated by the Iwata firm was made on the recommendation of its 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo.
The current situation of Yamaha in MotoGP was perfectly explained to Grand Prix of France by fabio quartararo et Lynn Jarvis. The French pilot declared: “ I just have no feeling on the bike. It's super aggressive. It doesn't run as usual. We lose all the assets that saved us when we were too slow on the straights. At that time we had certain advantages in other areas, for example speed in the corners. Today, we are making progress in certain areas, but that does not change the result because it slows us down elsewhere. We cannot progress in two areas at once. Looks like we have more power now, but we lose more on the corners than we gain on the straights ».
For its part, Lynn Jarvis commented : " we see areas where we are behind our competitors. Especially since we have improved our engine, we see the weaknesses in the development of our Yamaha in other areas. We need to resolve these issues as soon as possible. We need a good plan, we need to invest and fight our way out ».
Eric De Seynes: “ we have invested, we have a new engine, now we must protect our main advantages »
To this concert joined Eric DeSeynes, president of Yamaha Motor Europe, who declared in remarks made to BT Sport and relayed by crash.net, that the Yamaha currently on the track in MotoGP has been developed following the instructions given by fabio quartararo : " we have worked hard, following the recommendation made by Fabio Quartararo over the last year ". He also points out: “ we have invested, we have a new engine, we can see that the top speed has improved significantly ". Yes, but… " Now we must protect our main advantages ».
A sensitive point… “ We see that Red Bull, KTM, Ducati are working hard on aerodynamics. They can thus compensate for their weak points. We don't have the same advantage as in the past. We are working hard on it. Our running pace is not bad. Fabio overtook eight drivers in the sprint at Le Mans. He had fun with the bike ».
The Frenchman finishes: “ the bike is new, more recent than it seems. We only have two sessions left, instead of three, to do tests. Two sessions is super fast, which is why we continue to struggle in qualifying. But in racing conditions, we can be at the forefront, so we just need to improve the qualifications ».
