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Albeit not to the same level as Honda, Yamaha is struggling. Penultimate among the manufacturers with 36 points compared to Ducati's 241, the tuning-fork manufacturer continues to limp along and navigate in the fog grappling above all with the bike's lack of responsiveness in cornering and too much weight in lifting up the bike, which is putting a strain on the physical resilience of the two riders, Fabio Quartararo above all. Speaking exclusively to Speedweek at the end of the Mugello weekend, which also included a day of collective testing, technical director Max Bartolini tried to take stock of the situation.
"Today all the teams have a good technical base from which to start, the problem is to speed up development. Lately we have been catching up, also because the fact that Japan is far away should not be an excuse. I personally spend one week a month at the factory so I can work closely with them," he revealed.
"The point is to identify how to manage the evolutionary process. Before, during the period of Japanese dominance, we would start with a technical specification with which to tackle the entire championship and gradually graft on new things. In Europe the process is different, it's in a continuous flow. If an element needs strengthening, action is taken immediately. That's how MotoGP works, and now even in Hamamatsu they have understood that."
In an attempt to try to make it more immediate, a detachment of the Asian company has been set up in Italy. "My task is exactly to make the two technical departments communicate," the former Ducati man revealed.
While downplaying the centrality of testing in improving a motorcycle, the engineer nonetheless highlighted its importance. "The sooner you can test the new parts on the circuit, the better - he declared, before dwelling on the benefits obtained thanks to the extra session related to the concessions on the Tuscan track where they would later race - We had tested the aerodynamics and as they gave a good response, as soon as our guys went onto the track on Friday they went well. Effectively in this way the work is facilitated and I'm sure that we will see the fruits of this in the upcoming events," he concluded.
