Yamaha left Assen without adding any points to its record, due to the zero of its regular riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli. In this situation, the fall of Darryn Binder and Andrea Dovizioso’s 16th place did not help the Japanese manufacturer too much.
Currently, those from Iwata are second in the world championship, behind the team in the lead and Noale’s factory, Aprilia . Willing to learn from its mistakes and with its spearhead renewed for two more seasons, the Japanese factory looks to the future with positivity and optimism.
“The beginning has been difficult, because we expected something from Japan that we couldn’t deliver,” introduced the team’s team manager, Massimo Meregalli. “I think we lost some motivation, but then we decided to stop thinking about what we didn’t achieve, and try to maximize what we did have.”
“We went to Qatar and the race still didn’t go as we expected, plus it took us a bit to understand the new aerodynamics. Then we went to Indonesia, and we had a really good result in the wet, a circumstance we don’t usually perform well in.”
After shining in 2021, a more mature Fabio Quartararo opened the doors of the Iwata manufacturer. Determined and on track for his second title, the French rider has undergone a ‘metamorphosis’ that has significantly improved his career.
“I think the change that Fabio [Quartararo] had was in COTA, when at the end of the race, even though we had a very big difference in top speed, he was able to fight with Marc [Márquez] until the end of the race. Fabio has great consistency, and probably at the moment he is the only one who can really exploit the strengths of our bike to the fullest, and he has a great feeling with it.”
“He is mature, more than last year, because he is improving the lap time wherever we go, and he is very determined. Also, when I say mature, because in difficult situations like Argentina, in COTA, in Qatar, in the end he felt disappointed. but not in a bad way.”
“Since we came back to Europe, he started to be really focused and fast, and what he did in the last three races, for me, was unbelievable. He achieved these results on very fast circuits, where at the beginning we couldn’t expect him, and also on Sachsenring, which is not really a good circuit for Yamaha.”
With the aim of achieving leadership in the constructors’ world championship, the tuning fork brand works tirelessly to improve and make its M1 a competent motorcycle in all aspects. To do this, the Japanese manufacturer will have in 2023 a team starring talents in engineering and electronics.
Asked to what extent he expects former Ferrari engine chief Luca Marmorini to help develop the M1 in the future, Meregalli said:
“The hopes are not only for this new synergy, but for the way that also in Japan they probably changed their minds. They always work internally, but now they start to have a more open mind and focus on improving the bike and the results.”
“I hope to see some results of this new collaboration, probably at the end of the season, because they are already – as you can imagine – working on next year, but I am happy, I am very confident,” Meregalli concluded.
