Luca Cadalora knows the workings of Yamaha well and he shed his light on the events that marked the brand's journey during this first part of the season. A particular trajectory with a major consequence. The trajectory is that the brand now equips the leader of the drivers' championship, Fabio Quartararo. A hold which had the consequence of diluting his teammate Maverick Viñales who convinced himself that he needed a change of scenery to continue his career. The Italian veteran and former track coach of Valentino Rossi gives his opinion…
Luca Cadalora was discreet but effective on the track and he kept this self-effacement linked to a formidable analytical mind when he decided to continue his life in the paddock next to the track, and in the service of Valentino Rossi. Today, he has taken an even further step back. But the passion and expertise as well as the experience remain and the Italian gave his opinion on GP One on the rich subject Yamaha . Indeed, with a pilot fabio quartararo who asserts himself as a leader and the premature departure of a teammate Casa Particular in Viñales who had to assume this status of first in line, there is something to talk about.
Cadalora of course listened to the motivations of Casa Particular in Viñales about his departure announced for the end of this year, dubbed by Yamaha . And in particular this passage of an M1 made now only to the measurements of fabio quartararo. The Italian doesn’t believe it and sees this argument as a poor excuse: “ on the technical aspect, I can assure you that Yamaha gives exactly the same support to both factory riders and I think few manufacturers have this level of fairness towards their factory riders and I know what I'm saying ».
So we have to look elsewhere for the reason. And Cadalora is clear. It's about humans and the transalpine recalls GP One that there have been precedents in history: “ Viñales wants to leave Yamaha, it's difficult to understand as a decision, but having a rider like Quartararo at your side can also make you do something like that ". A point of view that deserves attention: “ in 1993, no one wanted to be Rainey's teammate. The year before him, there was Kocinski and the results were quite disastrous. But I always liked having a strong teammate, because it makes you grow, makes you stronger. In my opinion, Valentino in 2016 with Lorenzo was a couple that really made them both grow. For a team the best thing is to have two strong drivers, but sometimes you can't ».
Luca Cadalora: “money is not everything”
Casa Particular in Viñales will therefore have capitulated in the open countryside faced with the pressure of the results displayed by his teammate Quarterly with four victories and five pole positions in nine rounds. Can a pilot recover from such a slap and how? We're talking about an option Aprilia. There too, Cadalora warns that nothing will be easy for the Spaniard: “ I don't think Viñales will get along well with the Aprilia. He only used MotoGP powered by an inline 4, switching to V4 after racing for many years with this type of bike is not easy ».
A technical pitfall which, according to him, will be more difficult to overcome than the economic depreciation of his contract, compared to his previous one at Yamaha : “ you know, money isn't everything. It is important that you feel wanted by the company you race with, but for drivers it is much more important to have the right environment, the technical guarantees that allow you to express your talent. There are many aspects that cause a pilot to choose one thing over another, but money is not necessarily the most important aspect ". The summer break is declared and reflection takes its course. Both at Casa Particular in Viñales than at Yamaha who must work urgently to fill the soon-to-be vacant position.
