The tuning fork brand has the current world champion in its ranks, however, the Yamaha box needs something more if it wants to retain the title in 2022. The Japanese manufacturer is going through one of the most difficult moments as a brand in its career within of MotoGP, and he hopes that the Portuguese Grand Prix will push his riders to a good position on the time sheet.
Its regular driver, Franco Morbidelli, accumulated 14 points in the championship during the first four races of 2022. Although he is not the driver who has spoken the most about the performance of the M1, Morbidelli has shown on more than one occasion concern for the direction of the Japanese manufacturer.
After tests in Qatar, Indonesia, Argentina and Texas, Morbidelli finds himself in 15th place in the drivers’ standings. His teammate, Fabio Quartararo, already has 44 points to his credit and, fifth in the World Championship, is by far the best Yamaha rider.
Starting from this base, there are many who wonder why Fabio Quartararo is so much stronger than Morbidelli so far.
“I see how well Fabio [Quartararo] harmonizes with the M1. He makes very precise changes to the bike’s set-up,” admits Morbidelli.
Morbidelli attributes his performance to a lack of knowledge about the current Yamaha M1 as, at the start of the 2021 MotoGP season, the Italian-Brazilian used the 2019 version.
“Based on Fabio [Quartararo]’s achievements and the changes to the bike, I understand that he and his team have a great deal of knowledge about the bike. I still lack that knowledge,” admits Morbidelli. “But my goal is to have it as soon as possible,” he said.
Franco Morbidelli is not the only Yamaha rider in trouble. His compatriot, Andrea Dovizioso, has not been able to get the expected score at the start of the season either.
“With the balance we had before we were quite competitive, but not too competitive. The grip is the weak point of the bike, but I think that if we manage to recover it, we can be very competitive.”
“We lost a bit of performance due to the different directions we took, but there are good things that I want to keep. Now we just need to couple those good directions with the advantages we had before,” Morbidelli concluded.
This is how the MotoGP World Championship arrives at the 2022 Portuguese Grand Prix
| Pos | Pilot | Points |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enea Bastianini |
61 | 25/1 | 5/11 | 6/10 | 25/1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | Alex Rins |
56 | 9/7 | 11/5 | 16/3 | 20/2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | Aleix Espargaró |
50 | 13/4 | 7/9 | 25/1 | 5/11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | Joan Mir |
46 | 10/6 | 10/6 | 13/4 | 13/4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo |
44 | 7/9 | 20/2 | 8/8 | 9/7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6 |  Brad Binder |
42 | 20/2 | 8/8 | 10/6 | 4/12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7 | Jack Miller |
31 | – | 13/4 | 2/14 | 16/3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8 | johann zarco |
31 | 8 /8 | 16 /3 | – | 7 /9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9 | Miguel Oliveira |
28 | – | 25/1 | 3/13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10 | George Martin |
28 | – | – | 20 /2 | 8 /8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| eleven | Pol Espargaro |
23 | 16 /3 | 4/12 | – | 3 /13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 12 | Pecco Bagnaia |
23 | – | 1/15 | 11/5 | 11/5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 13 | Marc Márquez |
21 | 11/5 | – | – | 10/6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 14 | Maverick Viñales |
19 | 4/12 | – | 9/7 | 6/10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 15 | Franco Morbidelli |
14 | 5/11 | 9/7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 16 | Takaaki Nakagami |
12 | 6/10 | — | 4/12 | 2/14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Luca Marini |
10 | 3/13 | 2/14 | 5/11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 18 | Marco Bezzecchi |
7 | – | – | 7/9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 19 | Darryn Binder |
6 | – | 6/10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 20 | Alex Márquez |
4 | – | 3/13 | 1/15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 21 | Andrea Dovizioso |
3 | 2/14 | – | – | 1/15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 22 | Remy Gardner |
1 | 1/15 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 23 | Raul Fernandez |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 24 | Fabio Di Giannantonio |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 25 | Stefan Bradl |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
