The hard part is done, even if it already seems like a lot. No one can deny Yamaha's efforts (and investments) in the new V4, designed and built in record time, yet the road is just beginning. At Sepang, the four official riders (Quartararo, Rins, Miller, and Razgatlioglu) and the two test riders (Fernandez and Dovizioso) are trying to find the basis on which to race. There are 10 M1s and many other pieces to put together the puzzle. Holding the helm steady is Maio Meregalli, team manager of the official Yamaha team.
Maio, I don't think you went on vacation this winter...
"On January 9, some mechanics went to Japan to assemble the eight bikes for the two teams, but in addition to those, several parts were also produced to develop them. During the Shakedown, we weren't able to test everything we had, so we hope to finish everything at the end of the three days of official testing. Incredible work had already been done last year. Continuing the development of two and a half projects (the M1 with the inline 4, the M1 V4, and the new 850, ed.) was challenging, but also significant. We hope to leave Sepang with an initial idea of what will be the basis of the bike we will use in the first four races, which will all be overseas. This is also because only two examples of some of the development parts have been made, so it is important to understand the direction to take, then it will take three or four weeks to get the parts for everyone."
Will you be able to give all four riders the same bike for the first Grand Prix in Thailand?
"It will depend on which option they choose. There is one that they could all have, but if they decide to go with the prototype material, it could happen that some of them start with different parts than the others."
Is it unthinkable to follow two different development directions?
"It would be more complicated, but we usually always try to follow the riders' feelings. So it's not necessarily the case that one can't make different choices. For now, fortunately, they are all aligned on the same option, for example with regard to the chassis. This is important for us in terms of both timing and costs. That said, if a rider needs something different, we will try to accommodate them."
You decided to abandon the inline 4 engine in favor of the V4 for specific reasons. Are you already finding answers to your questions?
"The new bike has characteristics that the old M1 didn't have. For example, it tends to slide sideways when braking, and the rear wheel has more contact with the ground. Before, we were always on one wheel when braking. We are already seeing these things after three days of shakedown. We are still in an embryonic stage, but the work that has been done has been done well. Clearly, we couldn't even think about making a new bike, coming here, and setting the fastest time. It's normal to think that we have a lot of work to do and problems to solve, not that everything is going well. We have gathered a lot of good information."
The problem with the old M1 was in the race, you couldn't compete with the V4s. How can you be sure in a test that it's been solved?
"The old M1 had reached the end of its development and we had extracted everything we could from it. We would like the new one to have the good points of the old one plus what it was missing, and it will take time to achieve that. If everything goes well, we could get some results towards the middle of the season. We lack a lot of experience everywhere, we need to get to know the bike. I also expect reliability issues, it's all too new, we're sure to have problems."
How do you keep the team motivated knowing that the difficulties are not over yet?
"Certainly, having a completely new project is a motivation for everyone. When they told me that it had been decided to do this project, it was exciting. When everyone saw the new bike, it was as if they had found a new girlfriend (laughs). We have an incredible group of people because, despite the difficulties of recent years, no one has ever given up . Last year was very tough. In addition to the 22 GPs, we had a lot of tests, but no one ever backed down. In the end, we are all here to try to win, and everyone is doing everything they can to achieve that."
Many people feel that in 2027, thanks in part to the regulation change, Honda and Yamaha will return to the levels we are used to seeing. Do you agree?
"The switch from inline 4 to V4 was also made in response to the new regulations. We decided to make this big investment to be better prepared for 2027. Next year will be a whole new year. There will be Pirelli tyres, but I don't think everyone will start at the same level. Those who are more competitive now will be able to start with a slight advantage. Last year we had to work on two and a half projects, this year we will work on two projects, but there are those who will work on one and a half projects, which will favor them. I hope I'm wrong (laughs)."
This new bike will have a short life, only one year, so will 2026 be a year of preparation for 2027?
"It is very much so, otherwise in 12 months we would find ourselves here in the situation we are in now. Instead, in a year's time we will know more about how the bike works."
You have four very different riders: Quartararo with no V4 experience, which Miller has and, to a lesser extent, Rins, then there's a rookie like Razgatlioglu. Is that a good combination?
"After a couple of hours, riders adapt to anything. They sit still for two months and after three outings they are already pushing a MotoGP bike to the limit. Fabio adapts in a phenomenal way, without even realizing it. We see it from the data, we let him try something different and he changes the way he opens the throttle, for example. Of course, it's better to have experience, but for me it doesn't make a big difference."
What about a rider who is completely new to MotoGP, like Razgatlioglu?
"Now he has to adapt, he has the same work program as the others, but he starts with a disadvantage because he has to learn everything. He will have to adapt to how a MotoGP bike is used, but also to the tyres because if you want to be fast with Michelin tyres, you have to use them in a certain way. Even when we tell him he's doing well, he doesn't give you the satisfaction of admitting it (laughs). He did well in the test at Valencia, he didn't crash, he set times that were in line with, if not better than, the other Yamaha riders: for me, he's doing really well. He didn't know Sepang, he was fast on the first day, then on the second and third days, fatigue or the desire to set a fast time played a part."
Can Dovizioso help him in this learning process?
"Andrea is an important figure because, in addition to being a test rider, he is also a sort of translator between the rider and the crew chief. All our riders trust Dovi and go to him to talk. Right now, we've asked him to spend some time with Toprak."
Do you already have a wild card program for this season with Augusto Fernandez?
"We have four: Jerez, Barcelona, Assen, and Silverstone or Aragon. We'll do them in the first part of the championship and one after the summer break, then that's it because we'll focus on the 850."
Do you have any goals in mind between now and the end of the year?
"I hope, or rather, I think the first part of the championship won't be easy, otherwise it wouldn't be normal and... I also hope I'm wrong (laughs). I believe that after the summer break we will be able to gradually achieve some good results. The bike works quite well, we definitely lack power, but that goes hand in hand with reliability."