Can Yamaha be satisfied with only having world champion Fabio Quartararo in the top 10 list at the Sepang tests? Although the Frenchman is not far from the top positions, the other four M1s have been relegated to the bottom of the time table, beyond 20th position, as if it were a repeat of last year, that is, a bike that only The Devil is capable of exploding and he is not yet at his optimum point.
In fact, the tuning fork brand’s technicians are working hard to find the right balance: among the innovations introduced at Sepang there are some aerodynamic innovations that should help improve the behavior of Iwata ‘s bikes.
Franco Morbidelli was the only Yamaha rider this Sunday to spend time developing the new front wing. So far we have seen profiles that extend to the sides of the fairing without sticking out in front of the airbox.
(Look in these three photos the different wings of Aprilia, Ducati and Honda in Sepang)
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Dorna
Jack Miller, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Pol Espargaro, Repsol Honda Team, detail of the bike
Photo by: Dorna
On the M1, however, the fact that the wing has a protruding extension has not gone unnoticed: a kind of beak has appeared in front of the engine air intake where the two flaps open, characterized by an edge of thicker attack near the central part.
The feeling is that the factory Yamaha team wants to move the aerodynamic center of pressure further forward in an attempt to find the balance of the bike.
Franco Morbidelli, Yamaha Factory Racing, with el ala de bandaja.
Quartararo complained not so much about the M1’s behaviour, but about the engine’s chronic lack of power at higher revs, while Morbidelli took it upon himself to unveil the 2022 bike by introducing a modification to a set-up job that should show the qualities of Yamaha.
