Let's talk MotoGP: Here's why the Fabio Quartararo/Yamaha case is problematic

This is one of the most distressing affairs of the week, and in my memory, I don't remember seeing this. We only did one day of testing, and Fabio Quartararo was already sorry for the performance of his 1 Yamaha YZR-M2024 ; that is problematic. One race, just one, so that we hear his name even more in rumors sending him to Aprilia. Yamaha is in dire straits, and no one seems to know what to do.

 

The extent of the damage

 

I have often had the opportunity, over the last few years, to look back on Yamaha's descent into hell. In fact, since the departure of Jorge Lorenzo at the end of 2016, the brand has struggled to survive at the top of the basket, even with Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales. Fabio Quartararo arrived, and won, it’s true ; but apart from its exceptional performances during the 2021 season, and the few successful races of Maverick Vinales over the 2017-2021 period, the Iwata firm has never managed to recover sustainably.

At Yamaha, we have the talent. The history of the brand is glorious, at the height of MV Agusta and other Hondas. This year's drivers are good, there's no doubt about it. I have always considered Alex Rins to be a top driver and “El Diablo” made a fine world champion. But during all these seasons, a clear direction has never been established by Yamaha representatives on the track.. It is clear, at this stage, that either Quartararo is struggling to establish himself as the true leader of an idle team, or else, that Yamaha is simply not listening to him.

 

 

Fabio's resignation, in particular, struck me. After just one day of testing, he already seemed to know that he wouldn't make it with the M1. Worse, she seems, according to her, further from her head than the previous one. In qualifying, he placed 16th, almost a full second from pole. Rins was 20th but does not seem completely recovered. And then, he discovered motorcycles. It was better for the Frenchman in the Sprint, with a 12th place in the exhausts of Bezzecchi, but still too far from his ambitions. The 11th position on Sunday was not much more encouraging, being more than three seconds behind the top 10. Novice Rins' weekend was okay; he finished “only” seven seconds behind Quarta’ over the 21 laps of the Sunday race.

 

 

Who is the worst student?

 

For several years, Honda and Yamaha have been fighting. Not to know which is the best builder, but to determine which is less worse. Obviously, this Japanese championship seems to be restarted for 2024 but this time could turn out to be to the disadvantage of Yamaha.

Honda is starting off on solid foundations, and I quite appreciated the Qatar Grand Prix from its employees. Johann Zarco, as expected, is their best driver. He was quite impressive in qualifying, and he was very close to making it to Q2. Joan mir also surprised me. He seemed more comfortable, more confident, despite another fall in qualifying. Originally, I wanted to dedicate an article to him but I remembered that he started 2023 with an 11th place on Sunday, better than his 13th position at Losail. And we know the rest.

 

 

For Luca Marini, it's more complicated but his state of mind is the right one. He approaches a problem as a problem, something Honda drivers have not been able to do since 2019. I don't think I'm forgetting anyone important to bring back points.

It's only the start of the season, but I feel Honda better than Yamaha. Fabio Quartararo remains a step above all the drivers mentioned above, and perhaps he will be able to carry the three tuning forks on the podium thanks to his unparalleled will. But as far as creating good momentum goes, it couldn't have gone worse. Yamaha, Meregalli, and Quartararo seem to have already run out of solutions. The 2024 financial year will seem long to them until November if things continue like this.

Do you think Yamaha can turn things around before mid-season, and hope to keep Quartararo in their ranks? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Photo: Yamaha MotoGP