The year 2023 will be a big meeting for a Yamaha team which will have to show, with a new, more powerful M1, that it is still a major force in MotoGP. It will not be so simple, because what was seen in 2022 caused a lot of concern while the first test of the offseason in Valencia did not reassure at all. And then there will only be two bikes to work on, with two riders very far apart in terms of performance. Field boss Lin Jarvis knows all this better than anyone, as he realizes very well that his test pilot Cal Crutchlow has become an essential part of his weakened system...
Lynn Jarvis must recharge its batteries as best as possible during this winter break, because what awaits it in 2023 will certainly put it to the test. Yamaha must thus return to contact with Ducati and thus convince his pilot fabio quartararo that he was right to grant his trust for two more years. Otherwise, everything will collapse, which will undoubtedly lead to arbitrations from Iwata... In an interview relayed by Todocicuito, the Englishman begins by reassuring himself: “ we are quite confident that next year we will have more power and this will help all Yamaha riders. Hopefully we can fight for another championship ».
« All Yamaha riders » ? Under the spotlight, there will only be two. Which puts the third who operates in the shadows in a position of strength. And Lynn Jarvis understood it well. It thus highlights the interested party who is Cal Crutchlow, which he hopes will be useful to fabio quartararo, while with regard to Franco Morbidelli, he will be the one who dismantles the alibis… “ The fact that Cal rode very well showed that the Yamaha is not just a one-rider bike » reports ains Lin Jarvis by recalling the excellent performance of his test driver during the last six Grands Prix of the 2022 season, carried out as a replacement for a Andrea Dovizioso who has asserted his pension rights.
Lin Jarvis remembers the mood of Cal Crutchlow mobilized for the last races of 2022: “ It's probably better if I don't tell you about his first reaction!«
Lynn Jarvis even insists: “ If Cal comes along and can do it, you can do it too. So from that point of view it's very good ". Which therefore leads him to this observation: “ with only two bikes on track, we will certainly need Cal more than ever. It's good that in these six races Cal has shown once again, to himself and to us, that he is still a competitive driver and that he is still in the battle. Next year his tests will be more important. Because we won't have all four drivers every weekend ».
A reflection which leads to being able to count, during a few meetings, on at least three representatives... But that is not winning: “ maybe we'll see him make a few Wildcards next year. We haven't decided yet, we don't have a fixed plan, but that's what I would personally like to see » said the man Yamaha who knows what he will have to face when he proposes this plan to Cal Crutchlow… “ Cal is a character, so you'll always hear what he's honestly thinking right away... It wasn't easy to ask him to come back, because he had retired and was quite happy to play his role as tester. It's probably best if I don't tell you about his first reaction! " finished Jarvis.
