Highlights such as third places by Fabio Quartararo in India and Indonesia remain the exception for Yamaha. Reality was demonstrated once again at the Australian Grand Prix. Fabio Quartararo started from 16th place on the grid at Phillip Island. The former world champion crossed the finish line in 14th place, 21 seconds behind.
After this renewed disappointment, the Frenchman finds clear words: “We need 15 winters to be like them [Ducati] to be. But as I said, that’s not the goal [für das nächste Jahr]. The goal is to get closer.”
“Every year we might make one step in one area, but lose two steps in another. Our chassis used to be magical. You could do whatever you wanted with the bike. The bike was slow, but the turning was good as hell.”
“Now the bike is slow, but the turning behavior is also bad. The engine is faster, but the others have also improved their engines. So the difference has remained the same. But they have also improved their chassis and aerodynamics.”
“For me the goal is to reduce the gap because every year it gets bigger and bigger. We have to reduce the gap. That’s the main goal. Of course I always want to fight for the World Cup, but if you’re realistic, we will Can’t make it next year.”
“But my personal goal is that there are more opportunities to fight for the podium and sometimes for victory. I hope that Yamaha also pursues this goal.” Yamaha is said to be working a lot in the background, but are they taking the right steps?
“We obviously have a lot of work to do,” team director Massimo Meregalli is quoted as saying by GPOne.com. “The engine is not the only problem with our motorcycle. This also affects other aspects, such as aerodynamics.”
“We will see something new in Valencia in this regard. We have to work a lot because the other brands use aerodynamics not only for downforce, but also for cornering behavior and cornering speed.”
“Unfortunately we have lost these strengths because the other teams are doing what they do with aerodynamics [bei ihnen] “It wasn’t possible with the chassis.” Meregalli also emphasizes that Yamaha is sticking with the in-line four-cylinder.
Yamaha knows that they have to convince Quartararo to stay
“In our opinion, the in-line four-cylinder can provide good, if not better, performance than a V-engine. However, the V-engine offers the possibility of making the motorcycle narrower, which helps with aerodynamics. But we trust the in-line engine.”
At the post-season test in Valencia there will be a further development of the Misano test engine, as well as new aerodynamics and a new chassis. Whether Yamaha will make progress remains to be seen. And also whether the Quartararo is convincing for 2024 and beyond.
“If I see progress, clear progress, that reduces the backlog, then [bleibe ich] perhaps. But I really need to see that progress. For me it’s important to see how much they really want to win,” says the Frenchman in the direction of Yamaha.
“I really want to win. At the moment we are hitting a wall because we no longer have any potential. I want a winning project for next year and for the future.” It is possible that Quartararo will look for an alternative for 2025/26 as early as spring.
Meregalli also knows that: “I’m worried about what will happen in 2025. We have to convince him with the performance of our motorcycle and not with the financial aspect. At the moment I don’t see that Fabio wants to break his contract. But after that anything can happen .”