Let's talk MotoGP: Álex Rins at Yamaha, what do you think of the summer rumor?

It’s the rumor that is stirring up this otherwise very calm summer. Álex Rins, six-time Grand Prix winner, would be in Yamaha's sights to replace Franco Morbidelli, a disappointing rider since his arrival within the official team in mid-2021. Who would benefit from such a transfer? In this article, we will analyze everything in order to judge such a maneuver, which would definitely reshuffle the cards in the peloton.

 

A consistent choice

 

First of all, let's start by saying that we exclude from the debate any financial consideration, from sponsors to salary. Here we will judge the rumor from a sporting point of view, purely and solely.

It would be a shame if Yamaha missed the opportunity if it presented itself. This is the first point. Whatever we think, Álex Rins is a very good driver, who, like everyone else, doesn't really like at Honda. We are talking here about a man victorious in MotoGP six times, third in the championship in 2020 and capable of clearly winning, he proved it again recently unlike Franco Morbidelli. Objectively, Yamaha must give it a try and the Iwata firm did not miss the boat since it sent an offer recently. In other words, Yamaha has no interest in not doing it: For them, the risks are minimal, and it represents a big improvement over a struggling Franco Morbidelli. This transfer would therefore be coherent, at least in this sense.

 

 

Beyond a very good rider, Yamaha would find a winner here, with the mentality that follows. Even though he never won a world title, Álex Rins is a transcendent driver who can achieve this unexpected stroke of brilliance, like a flash of genius. Certainly, this is not often reflected in the rankings – we'll talk about this later – but such explosive achievements could put the blues into a positive dynamic, exactly what they need right now. Yamaha is looking for confidence, and a profile like this would be a much better choice than a more conservative rider like Luca marini (in absolute terms) or Johann zarco.

 

What are the benefits for Álex Rins?

 

In the other direction, what interest would Álex Rins have in signing with Yamaha? Firstly, it would allow him to get out of this nameless quagmire that is Honda, even if he has already won a race aboard the RC213V in Austin. Obviously, the winged firm is floundering, but nevertheless, Rins stood out from the crowd at the start of the season. Despite his injury, he is still, at present, the first Honda driver in the standings.

By joining Yamaha, he would join a project not much more successful, but at least, within the factory team. A revenge, because for reasons that we don't know, Honda Repsol preferred Joan Mir when sporting logic should have dictated the opposite. Alongside Fabio Quartararo, he would form the second power duo from the grid, with two riders who can play for the win in each race, like the Bagnaia/Bastianini pair at Ducati. These crews which can dynamite a weekend, with, each time, the costume of outsider on their shoulders.

Yamaha remains a great team and benefits from this institutional image, we cannot deny it. In search of his first world title, Rins knows that Yamaha, if the firm finds color, is perfectly capable of giving it. There is no doubt that Álex Rins knows he is capable of embodying the brand, as he did with Suzuki. Despite Joan Mir's title, Rins will remain the emblem of this Suz' epic from 2015 to 2022. He could assume this status without problem.

 

 

The four in a row, a valid argument?

 

The argument that Álex Rins knows about inline-four engines doesn't really hold up. Indeed, since 2016 and the introduction of the single ECU, it is much more difficult to say that a particular architecture is advantageous at a particular time of the season. Yes, “in-line” mills have strong and weak points, but the leveling of the grid prevents them from being clearly seen. Example takes precedence over theory. Since 2020, we have known that Ducati has the best machine but yet two riders armed with an in-line four-cylinder (Joan Mir then Fabio Quartararo) have won the title. Jorge Lorenzo had only known this before arriving at Ducati, and yet he quickly adapted to the engine – the results of his 2017 season are quite underrated elsewhere. Álex Rins followed the opposite path, and he won his first Grand Prix on the Honda V4 after only three rounds.

Finally, last example, the Ducati V4, driven by Bagnaia, is better in curves than the Yamaha 4 el line driven by Quartararo while the turns were the major strong point of the blues 10 years ago. In fact, we can no longer trust this parameter.

 

Álex Rins, often absent

 

So, of course, there is always room for criticism because no transfer is perfect on paper. Yamaha is aware that they are tracking an irregular rider, although this is not so much of a problem if Quartararo is good on the other side of the box. Álex Rins is no longer young at 27, and even in his younger years, he never managed to transform the consistency that characterized him in Moto2 into the most prestigious of categories, except for the end of the 2018 season. Thus, he is often poorly classified overall despite podiums and victories, especially since 2021.

But the biggest problem lies in the reliability of the guy. Álex is very often injured, and in fact, he still is at the time of writing this article. Whether it's their fault or not, it's a problem when it affects a member of the factory team, especially when it's the only team representing the brand on the grid in the absence of a satellite team. . Since 2017, he has only had two full seasons (2018 and 2019), which is meager, especially since each fall calls the future into question. We cannot guarantee that he will return to his form at the start of the season even if it is true that he never took long to get back into the rhythm after recovering.

 

Conclusion

 

In our opinion, it would be a good transfer, at least better than anything offered Honda since the arrival of Cal Crutchlow at LCR in 2015. Not exceptional either, because we find it hard to believe that he is doing better on Yamaha than what he had offered at Suzuki in six years but that would already be very correct. We are relatively afraid of Álex Rins who crashes in four consecutive Grands Prix, but let's wait impatiently for the one who wins in one breath thanks to a stroke of genius.

In our opinion, very humbly, we would have preferred an even bolder choice; Tony Arbolino, big character directly from Moto2, with Fabio Quartararo in clear n°1. After all, nothing has been done yet and there is still a chance that it will happen. Regardless, the recruitment of Álex Rins would be completely consistent and could really help Yamaha in the event of a successful collaboration.

It's your turn ! Don't hesitate to tell us what you think of the rumor in the comments! Do you agree with our analysis?

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport