The Japanese brand managed to win the drivers' title this season after six years of waiting. A success largely linked to progress on the M1, but also to the contribution of a certain Fabio Quartararo.
2021 will therefore have been marked by the return to the top of Yamaha, which managed to win the pilots' title through Fabio Quartararo, a first since 2015 and the last coronation of Jorge Lorenzo.
The French rider, not content with winning the first French title in the premier category since the creation of the world motorcycle speed championship in 1949, was in fact the real linchpin in the return to favor of the brand with three tuning forks. this season.
With five victories, the driver from Nice is the driver to have won the most times this season (not counting five other podiums as well as five pole positions), narrowly ahead of Pecco Bagnaia and his four successes acquired at the very end of an exercise finished with a bang by the Italian.
2021, the light at the end of the tunnel
A real relief for the official Yamaha team, which has managed to return to the forefront after several years marked by vicissitudes of all kinds. “As you can imagine we are delighted, satisfied with this season”, confirmed Massimo Meregalli, the team director, at the microphone of the MotoGP official website. “We were able to regain the title after six years of waiting. The last five years in particular have indeed been quite difficult for us, we have struggled quite a bit and had our ups and downs. But this year we have found this regularity which we lacked during the last years. »
A consistency made in part possible by a lot of work on the problems which affected the M1 in recent seasons, first and foremost traction and good management of the rear tire. But also thanks to the arrival of Fabio Quartararo, who knew how to breathe new life into the structure. “We were able to start a relationship with a new driver, who turned out to be young and fast”, continues the Italian manager. “When he arrived in the garage, I must say that the whole atmosphere was really rejuvenated. He brought his joy of life while being perfectly able to manage the situation, to be quick and serious while remaining focused during all the sessions. Besides that, he always has a smile and is helpful. »
A state of affairs which required great efforts on the part of the Frenchman, author in the past of mood swings, as was the case at Jerez in 2019, when he was unable to convert his first pole position in the premier category as a result at the finish due to a faulty gear selector, or at the end of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last year, where he was penalized for having crossed the limits of the track .
From the past for the new World Champion, who at 22 years old was able to step back and question himself to succeed in being a complete driver this season, and to seek a title which was denied to him in 2020 due to fault for having gone the distance.
A machine that can still be improved
So of course everything will not have been perfect during the last financial year, the Yamaha still showing itself to be reluctant on occasion when the racing conditions are not optimal, as was the case during the Austrian Grand Prix won by Brad Binder (where Quartararo finished seventh), or on circuits which have never really been favorable to the Japanese manufacturer (its eighth place in Aragón for example).
“There are still areas where we need to improve, as well as on certain tracks like in Aragón, or in mixed conditions, where the track is not dry but not completely wet either”, concedes Meregalli. “But as you can imagine, the most important thing is that we managed to achieve our goal. It's ultimately difficult to realize that we were able to have such a strong season this year. »
« It's hard to believe that we were able to have such a strong season this year. »
The Viñales failure
Another dark point of Yamaha's 2021 season will undoubtedly have been the end of the relationship with Maverick Viñales. Despite a fanfare start to this season symbolized by a victory during the first round in Qatar, the links between the Spanish driver and the Japanese manufacturer subsequently inevitably weakened until finally breaking definitively as the Grand Prix of Styria.
The end of an adventure that began in 2017, and marked by eight successes for number 12, but which never led to the slightest title. Joined the team five years ago with the firm intention of creating croupiers for Valentino Rossi and to present himself as his legitimate successor, Viñales undoubtedly paid the price for the problems that Yamaha then began to simultaneously encounter in terms of power transmission to the ground, and which often compromised the consistency of the M1 in racing.
Worse, it was then that the technical teams seemed to have found the martingale that the Iberian was overtaken by Quartararo this season. We can imagine this being a tough pill to swallow, and from then on the relationship between the Spaniard and the Japanese brand only deteriorated until the definitive breakup this summer. “As for the drivers, the results are a bit mixed”, also recognizes Meregalli. “It is true that we had a great season with Fabio, but on the other hand we had this problem with Viñales, which forced us to end our relationship with the latter. »
It was therefore necessary to find a backup solution, Cal Crutchlow fulfilling the role as best he could during three rounds where the Englishman was unable to score a single point, before seeing Franco Morbidelli reform with Quartararo the association which had worked wonders within the Yamaha Petronas team in 2019 and 2020.
But the timing was not good, the Italian-Brazilian not having completed his recovery from a knee injury dating back to the spring and a fall that occurred on Valentino Rossi's ranch. “There was Cal Crutchlow who joined us for a few races, before Frankie [Franco Morbidelli] joined us”, continues Meregalli. “The problem is that he arrived at us in a physical condition that was far from perfect, and we are still working hard with him to help him in his recovery, which is not yet complete and which takes time. »
“We are helping Morbidelli in his recovery, which is not yet complete and which takes time”
Anticipate the Ducati threat as best as possible
We can bet that Morbidelli will be back at 100% of his capacity for next season. This will be necessary to counter the rise in power of the Ducati, who at times seemed irresistible at the end of the season. The GP21, the result of long-term work in the Bologna factories for two years, can frankly no longer be assimilated, sometimes vulgarly, to a machine only at ease on fast tracks or offering a "stop" profile. -and-go”.
On the contrary, it now seems to be a weapon capable of winning on all terrains, as shown by Bagnaia's four successes in the last six races of the season. The very last one, in Valencia, in this sense made a strong impression in the paddock while the Spanish circuit had rarely smiled in the past on Ducati and the Transalpine itself.
Despite this, Meregalli wants to be confident, sure of his strengths for next year: “If we look at the future, it looks bright: we have two good drivers, and we are sure that with them we can have another solid season next year. » From there to also aiming for the constructors' and teams' titles, which fell into Ducati's hands this year, there is only one step.
