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After leaving Austria without putting a single point on the board, work continues at full speed at Yamaha to try to regain competitiveness and results. But despite the many new things tried in the recent test held in Misano, the outlook does not seem particularly encouraging on the eve of the Aragon Round. A round in which Fabio Quartararo does not expect anything particularly different from what has transpired so far.
"I don't know if it will get better. I expect the same here, but to feel a little bit better - he said when talking about his expectations for the weekend - We tried so many things in the test in Misano. Unfortunately, not everything worked as we expected, but this weekend we will use the new aerodynamics we tested there and will adopt from now until the end of the season."
While some progress was made on the aerodynamic front, it is different on the engine and chassis level.
"In Misano we tried a new chassis and a new engine. The feeling was slightly better with the new powertrain, but the lap time was the same. So, it's a bit complicated. The new chassis was not good, but we are trying to figure out how to improve on the grip level, because we were already struggling in previous years compared to others and now we have even less grip than we had two years ago," explained the French rider. "In my opinion, the day we find grip we will take a big step forward, even if the engine and electronics are not the best. But the question is how to find grip."
At the Riviera test, the Nice native also had the opportunity to talk about the issue with Andrea Dovizioso, who returned to the M1 to replace test rider Cal Crutchlow.
"Although we are still the same brand, from 2022 to now we have changed riding style every year. Now we have a riding style that is visually more similar to what Ducati used to do in the past, which was stopping a lot and not having as much cornering speed. Our bike can't corner, so that's mainly why we are riding this way and the grip is really low. Dovi rode pretty well in Misano ," commented Fabio, "Obviously, he needs more time to be fast, buthe, like us, said the grip is really low. In the end, when you mount the new tire, there is nothing you can do."
Continuing to talk about the way the M1 should be ridden, he added, "Now Ducati has a lot more speed in the corners, our style is a little bit like the one they adopted when Dovizioso was racing with them, about four years ago. Four years is a long time, so if we are doing what they were doing then, it means there is something wrong. I think he adapted quite quickly just because of this style of riding, but now we have to try to evolve and try to find the grip at the rear, in braking, cornering and traction, so we can really improve."
Where does the Yamaha lack grip? On entry or corner exit?
"Everywhere. It's a matter of mechanics," replied Quartararo, "In the wet you feel it much more and for us the difference on the track, with or without grip, is much higher than for Ducati. In the test in Misano in the wet it was terrible, I couldn't even put my knee on the ground. We need much more grip at the rear. We know that our bike is much lower than theirs, that they are taller and in a different position, but we can't do the same because our bike is completely different - they have a V4 engine and we have an inline four, and we have no mechanical grip. It's a little bit complex, but between now and the end of the year we have to look for grip, especially to stop the bike and curve fast, because now the rear comes forward in the corner and you have the feeling that you can do a highside in every single corner. It's quite complicated to be able to really understand the reaction of the bike."
Although the Iwata-based manufacturer is working hard the fruits of its efforts are slow in coming. Can the 2021 World Champion still be satisfied with the progress and work done, or would he have expected more?
"Both. I expected better. I expected to take a step forward from the beginning of the season to now and to be a little closer, but I like the way the project is going and I expected to have a satellite team, Yamaha which is carrying out several projects that are still confidential, and a better test team from next year," he pointed out. "I think having four factory bikes will help us a lot to improve the bike, because now Ducati collects a lot more data in a single session than we do in a whole weekend. The project is going as I expected, but I expect to be much faster."
El Diablo then returned to the issue of the engine and the specification tried recently in Valencia, which he seemed to like.
"We tested it. It's basically an engine with a base from two years ago. It is very old, but in Misano we tried a new specification on a base from this year, and as I said, the feeling was better, but the potential was not there. However, I think the priority at the moment is not this, but grip," he stressed, "I liked the engine in particular because it was much easier to handle but it didn't have potential, and right now I prefer to suffer and be fast than to ride the bike more easily."
Could the V4 be a real option for the future?
"I think we have to look at all the options, and this is something to talk about more with the engineers than with me, because in the end I have never ridden a V4," Quartararo noted, "But looking at the bikes that work, they all have this type of engine. It's true that Honda is struggling, but in the end we are the only ones with an inline four-cylinder. So maybe there is something to consider."
However, it is difficult to think that the Japanese manufacturer will decide to revolutionize the MotoGP engine before 2027, when the new technical regulations come into effect.
"I've seen a lot of strange things, so it wouldn't be a strange thing for us," Fabio commented, "To be honest, though, I don't have an answer because I don't know if we will have a V4 or not, and 2027 is still a long way off. Maybe I won't even be with Yamaha in 2027 anymore."
