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What if Yamaha is close to that all-important click that is capable of unlocking it and bringing it back to fight for the positions that count? It's certainly too early to answer that, but the first day of MotoGP winter testing at the Sepang circuit gave the blue garage something to smile about. Fabio Quartararo was the best of the bunch, putting Ducati riders Marc and Alex Marquez behind him. In the past often critical of the Japanese manufacturer, on this occasion the Frenchman had dew-eyed words for a more open and proactive attitude that might really lead to that long-awaited step forward.
"We were less than a tenth faster than in the 2024 qualifying. The feelings were positive, obviously in the context of a race weekend you're focused on finding the time, here on the other hand we tried different things and at the end we put on the new tires to look for performance. Having already accumulated two track days and as many rest days counts for time hunting, in any case for now I can say that we did a good job," were his words immediately coming off the bike.
You tested a new chassis and aerodynamics, what was your impression?
"We had already checked the chassis in the shakedown. Let's say that although we actually worked on the aerodynamics and tried to find a compromise between the new features and the setup, the focus was on the electronics."
Did the wind bother you?
"In some corners it did bother me, maybe in turns four/five, but in all the others it gave us a hand, so I don't think it compromised our analysis."
What has changed within the team?
"Last year, I put a lot of pressure on our project leader Matsuda and Max Bartolini who supports him. The European and Japanese mentalities are different, and I pushed for the former to prevail. As a result, in the second half of the season, especially in qualifying, things improved. Now with four official bikes on the track there will be a period of adaptation to deal with."
Today you had the word "smooth" on your dashboard....
"From Thailand, when we started working on the electronics, I watched how the Ducati behaved and I realized I had to change my own style as well as the electronics, because my instinct is to go out on the track and push hard to get everything out of the bike, but sometimes if you proceed more calmly you end up being more incisive, so it's better to be calmer and that writing is a way to remind me of that."
How do you evaluate this first day?
"It's encouraging since I was initially 12th/14th in the shakedown, so that's good. Although it's only the first day it's better to be in front than behind. It's good for us to keep working like this and try to get the time feedback down."
What aspects of the change in approach have been most effective?
"In general, the way of working and trying things out. If a piece improves performance you keep it, otherwise you eliminate it. In past years, the attitude was to keep using even the things that did not give good feedback. With this change of mindset instead, you are able to make progress."
Is there anything that has improved significantly?
"No, not really, I would say it's a discourse in general starting with the way I ride that has changed a lot. Now I just try to replicate what can make me go faster. It's a good start and with more M1s there will also be more data available."
Automatic Translation by DeepL
