Yamaha brought a new chassis to pre-season testing in Qatar, as well as aerodynamic upgrades including a new front fender and profiled fork covers.
The Iwata factory brought a slightly different chassis for 2021, with factory riders testing it in turn with the 2020 version to assess how it behaves.
This is the 2021 chassis, which is very similar to the 2020 one, but with some changes in the finer details on the main beam, where the cutouts are located.
In this photo, we see the 2020 chassis: the cutouts have changed slightly, with a small piece added and another removed. Yamaha is not looking to revolutionize their frame this year, they are looking for potential gains on a known basis, no matter how small. The 2020 to 2021 chassis change is an example of this, with Yamaha trying to find the final percentages to get the prototype they want.
Here, Valentino Rossi uses the 2020 chassis. Although it's hard to see it here, the two cutout areas are slightly different from the following photo.
Here we observe the developments of the 2021 chassis, tested by Fabio Quartararo.
Yamaha has also worked on aerodynamics, with a very elongated front mudguard.
Interestingly, it no longer covers the top of the front tire, an idea we previously saw when KTM revealed a different mudguard last year that favored maintaining front tire temperature.
The mudguard also incorporates new fork covers. Ducati has frequently used these profiled guards, with the aim of smoothing the air around the fork tubes so that it reaches the radiator more quickly and without turbulence.
The benefit is better cooling and perhaps better top speed because it holds the air with higher pressure, so it moves faster. This little aerodynamic part seems to show that Yamaha is working on aerodynamics to achieve gains in top speed.
Photos: Dorna
