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Meregalli, Quartararo and Morbidelli agree on one thing: there is a good atmosphere in the Yamaha garage. It’s all merit of the Shakedown, which the team manager experienced from start to finish, with Fabio making a few trips out on the track. Finally, the M1 has changed and of all the MotoGP bikes seen on the track, it seemed to be the one with the most updates.
A good day usually starts in the morning, but the last word will go to the riders, who will take to the track in Sepang from tomorrow for the first 3 days of testing of the year.
“It's been a longer winter break than usual. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we're very happy to be back at the track. We have a good atmosphere in the garage after the Shakedown Test - Maio assured us - It was a shame that rain cost us some time, so we hope for fully dry days during the upcoming test to get through all the testing items, even though the weather forecasts for this weekend are not great.”
Meregalli hopes to be able to make the most of these tests.
“I'm impressed with the proactive work done by the Yamaha engineers over the winter: we have many things to evaluate here. The number of items they prepared for this test is really huge! We have an updated chassis, aerodynamics, rear arm, and engine. I expect Friday morning to be used for the riders to get back up to speed after three months of no riding. After that, they have an intense working plan. It will be difficult to finish it all, considering the amount of time and tyres available to us as well as the weather conditions playing a key part. But we will try to get as much done as possible to start 2023 off in the right way.”
That's what Quartararo also wants, as he awaits confirmation after repeatedly urging Yamaha to work on the weak points of the M1.
“The wait is over! This winter break was very long, but in a way that was good for me because it gave me time to train and prepare for the upcoming season,” said the Frenchman. “It will be a long one – we know this. We need to put in good work during this test to make sure we are ready for it. I‘m excited to try the 2023 spec and to see what progress we made. I arrived in Sepang a bit earlier and spent some time at the track during the Shakedown Test. I heard and saw positive things, so I can‘t wait to try it for myself.”
Morbidelli is also eager to get back on the bike and finally be competitive after a 2022 in which the pains far outweighed the joys.
“We are finally back together as a crew. This test is a fresh start, and you can feel the excitement – said Franco - The Shakedown Test went well, so there is a positive atmosphere in our team. During the upcoming test I aim to show a good performance level. We improved towards the end of 2022, and now it‘s time to build onto that and make further steps. We have a lot of things to test in the next three days. We will work hard, as always, to make a good start to the 2023 pre-season.”
