Friday in Buriram was like a wake-up call. And this Saturday confirmed a Yamaha team already in dire straits. Certainly, Maverick Viñales and Johann zarco managed to enter the top 5, but Valentino Rossi, at the same time, failed in a fourteenth place which puts him under the threat of Nakagami and practically a second behind the leader Marquez. Something to worry about. And the Doctor is worried…
Despite the heat that raged on the Buriram route, Saturday was a cold shower for Valentino Rossi : " vshis day was complicated. We started well in the morning, we had a rhythm and it was faster than that of Friday. But we still had a lot of things to try to progress, particularly with the electronics to find acceleration. But we haven't found any solutions. We also tested Michelin tires, but I wasn't comfortable. You really need to try something different ».
« Honestly I don't know what to do » says a Doctor who assured that he would decide on his future after the three tests of the off-season and the first three Grands Prix… “ What you see during the tests is quite close to the reality of your situation. In any case, you must be in front. Last year we realized we had a problem with the electronics while the others were making progress. In April, Ducati reached a milestone and Honda did so in August. At Yamaha, we have not followed the same upward slope. I'm worried » Vale repeats.
« Half of the performance is due to mechanics and the other half comes from electronics. Electronics also have an impact on tire management which was our Achilles heel last year. I don't think we will have resolved our problem before the Qatar Grand Prix. We may be able to do better on certain routes, but we will have to work hard to close this gap and it will not be easy ».
Should we already exclude Yamaha in a title race which would in fact be limited to a duel between Honda and Ducati?
#ThaiTest MotoGP Buriram J.2: Chronos
1. Marc Márquez, Honda, 1:29,969 min
2. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, +0,158 sec
3. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,216
4. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +0,305
5. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0,391
6. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,398
7. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,477
8. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,521
9. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,525
10. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, +0,760
11. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0,806
12. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +0,886
13. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +0,914
14. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,919
15. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +0,932
16. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,144
17. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,161
18. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,216
19. Mika Kallio, KTM, +1,629
20. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +1,668
21. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +1,692
22. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2,025
23. Hafizh Syahrin, Yamaha, +2,029
24. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +2,298
