Three questions to Massimo Meregalli, team manager of the Yamaha Factory team in MotoGP

Since the opening of the season, fabio quartararo, that's 10 podiums, including five victories. To find similar performances from a Yamaha rider, we have to go back to 2015 when Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo fought mercilessly for the title, the last from a representative of the Iwata firm in MotoGP.

Without doubt, the Frenchman's first year within the official team is a success and on the eve of a possible coronation, Massimo Meregalli, team manager, agreed to answer some of our questions.

How has the season gone so far for the Yamaha factory team but also for Fabio?

“Very good, especially with Fabio. It was very fast, very regular. We had a few situations where you could say there was a bit of bad luck like in Jerez and Catalonia. Perhaps nothing special happened in Aragon, but we encountered a bit of difficulty. It is certain that this is not one of the favorite circuits for our motorcycle. This is also the reason why we chose this route as a test track. I also think it's not Fabio's favorite track, so it's probably 50/50. But, for the rest, in my opinion, this year has been very positive. I discovered a very mature 22 year old. Maybe last year he learned something, like handling pressure. He started well, but the second part of the season was difficult, but I can say that the bike didn't help him either, because we had the same bike and we had the same problem. This year, he took advantage of this experience. He manages all the races brilliantly. On the other hand, we had inconsistent results, as Maverick won the first GP and then finished second at Assen. But his results were not consistent. Finally, we had a problem and we were forced to stop mid-season. »

“What he did in Austin was for me a demonstration of his maturity” – Meregalli

What is the difference between this year's YZR-M1 and the 2020 one that could explain Fabio's performance this year?

“The differences are not significant enough to judge this change in trajectory. In the past, the Yamaha was suitable for most tracks. Then, over the last three or four years, we started to lose that consistency. But this year, we have found this very good base which works, in my opinion, on 90% of circuits. Fabio has a great feeling with the front. This one is so good that it allows him to find the limit, so it's easy for him to attack very hard. The motorcycle warns him when he has reached this limit. I think this is one of the main differences compared to last year's bike. He said last year, “I didn't feel anything and sometimes I lost the front. This year the bike is giving me a lot of feedback, here we are.” »

Fabio has a chance to win the title on Sunday. Have you adapted your strategy for this weekend?

" No. We are approaching this weekend normally. We are trying to give him the best possible package for Sunday. We are probably lucky to find a circuit where we have already ridden. We know that the bike is at a good level there. We were also able to learn things from the test we did after the GP. So the only difference maybe will be the weather and temperature. But, as I said, the approach is the same as always. Then he must find his strategy during the race. If the circumstances are good enough to fight, I think he will. But, if he sees that the situation is perhaps too difficult or too risky, he will manage it. What he did in Austin was for me a demonstration of his maturity. As soon as he realized that staying with Marc was too risky for the championship, he simply tried to overpower the driver behind him. This is what he will have to do. »