This is a short sentence dropped by Yamaha team director Maio Meregalli on motogp.com which says a lot about the deep reflection in which the Iwata brand is currently engaged in its MotoGP project. An approach sufficiently advanced to have convinced Fabio Quartararo to make it his career reference for the next two years. We know that the Frenchman wants more power and this is always difficult to get from an in-line four-cylinder engine. But there is also the V4, which would be a revolution for the tuning fork coat of arms. And yet…
fabio quartararo would it have been more persuasive than a Valentino Rossi in his time who had expressed the idea, by being dropped by the Ducati of Casey Stoner in a straight line, that it was time to think about a V4 at Yamaha ? We don't know, but when we hear a Mayo Meregalli leaving this option open for the next Grand Prix seasons, we say to ourselves that indeed, things are moving around the M1.
The same elements evolve on the starting grid since, in 2023, Yamaha will be the only manufacturer competing in MotoGP with an in-line four-cylinder with its two factory machines. A situation which is the consequence of two events: the withdrawal of Suzuki, and the disappearance of the satellite team Yamaha . Furthermore, the two remaining Japanese manufacturers which are Honda et Yamaha understood that their working method was no longer suited to today's high-level competition. If the first city is still thinking about a new process, the second is already in the reaction, with in particular this recruitment of the former Formula 1 engineer Luca Marmorini.
Maio Meregalli: “I'm sure other solutions are being considered."
Meregalli thus takes stock of the situation on this new head: “ we try to use his experience, which he gained in Formula 1 with Ferrari and Toyota and in MotoGP more recently with Aprilia. It is a signal which shows that Yamaha changes the way it operates and calls on external engineers ". But will we go as far as developing a new V4? This is where the Italian takes everyone by surprise by blurting out: “ This is something engineers need to think about. They exclude nothing ».
Then he calms things down: “ When you move from a setup you know very well to a completely new one, it takes a long time to gain experience. Before making this decision, you have to be really sure », underlines the team director Yamaha . " We always work with the proven configuration. But I'm sure other solutions are being considered at the same time » he finishes.
As a reminder, in-line engine motorcycles generally have better handling and cornering speed due to the weight distribution options. Since in-line engines are wider and compromises must be made with the engine head, aerodynamics and peak performance are often slightly lower than V-engines. Each concept ultimately has advantages and disadvantages. disadvantages.
