Quartararo and Yamaha – The conundrum of new tires

" It's a disaster " It is with these words that fabio quartararo concluded the Sepang Test. The Yamaha M1 version 2023, however, seemed to have erased the main faults of its predecessor, namely the range of use of the engine and the maximum speed. During the second day, the 2021 World Champion recorded a peak of 335,4 km/h, or 3,1 km/h more than his best mark during the Malaysian Grand Prix last October. This Vmax even placed it in third place, tied with the formidable Aprilia of Miguel Oliveira, just behind the untouchable Ducati Desmosedici of Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín.

However, this gain was not reflected on the timesheet, Fabio Quartararo having to settle for a poor 17^e place, more than a second from the best time. “Clearly, the performance of our bike collapses on new tires,” commented Franco Mordidelli, Fabio's Italian teammate.

Michelin supporting Team Yamaha © Michelin

The quality of the tires from the Clermont-Ferrand manufacturer could not be called into question, all the other competitors having managed to extract the best from them, both on a lap and on long stints.

“The worst part is that we tried to set a time, added 'El Diablo', who was even more direct in his remarks. We absolutely have to understand where the problem comes from, why we are so far away, because every year, qualifying becomes more important, what's more with the introduction of Sprint races... and for us, things just keep getting tougher! Like that, we can't fight for victory, or even for a Top 5. We therefore absolutely have to do a reset in Portimão. »

At the end of the first day of the Test in the Algarve, things did not seem to have improved... “We are still very far away, Quartararo was annoyed. We are not able to get 100% benefit from the tire. I don't feel like I'm one with the bike! » In an interview with Canal +, the Nice native even admitted to being a little short of ideas.

The work continues © Michelin

But the next day, his clan rectified the situation nicely, with a third place. “We returned to more familiar settings and aero package, he explained. Of course, we are still lacking a little, but we have taken a good step forward. » No boasting though “We're not ready yet. replied Fabio Quartararo very honestly. That said, we've done more than half the work, we're much closer. So there is no question of giving up! »

Yamaha knows it, it will suffer this season from having only two motorcycles on the grid while its competitors can spread the development work over several machines. The key to a successful season will be consistency and a few bursts of brilliance that Quartararo is familiar with, for our greatest pleasure.

ALSO READ > Fabio Quartararo: “We’re getting closer! »