Yamaha and Quartararo impressed in Malaysia, but it is 'still too early' to judge their real level

Three days of testing, three Top 3s: this is the (almost) perfect result of fabio quartararo and Yamaha during the first pre-season tests, held this week in Sepang, Malaysia. The French rider and the Japanese manufacturer found a rhythm that had been lost for several months, if not years, and were very convincing in the flying lap exercise in particular.

Faced with the Ducati benchmark, author of the best absolute time over these three days of testing with a 1'56″493 signed by Alex Marquez on Friday, the 1 version of the YZR-M2025 had nothing to be ashamed of: the 2021 world champion set a time of 1'56″724, just two tenths behind the Spaniard's mark. Apart from Ducati, Yamaha is the only brand to have set a time under the 1'57 mark. Enough to delight Fabio Quartararo, satisfied as rarely before.

"I'm really happy! It's the first time I've reached 1'56 here, so I'm happy, and I think today was a good day for us, said the Frenchman at the end of the last day of testing on Friday in Sepang.. The conditions were really good, so overall it was a positive day. I hope we will have the same feeling in the Buriram test."

“I worked during the winter break, and not only on a road bike. In general, I was trying to be faster on a lap. I think that was a good point of improvement, but I also think the bike has improved in some areas, which helps me to be fast on a lap, he says, truly delighted by the work done by Yamaha. I think the targets I set for this test were neither too positive nor too negative. But it is just a test. I think the real situation will only become apparent when we are in Buriram on Friday afternoon of the Grand Prix weekend and during qualifying.

Eight tenths gained compared to 2024!

If these are indeed "only" tests, the observation is still quite impressive: compared to the qualifications of the last Malaysian Grand Prix, last November, Fabio Quartararo improved his mark by eight tenths! Last year, at the same time for the pre-season tests in Malaysia, the Nice driver had never even entered the Top 10... whereas here, he has never left the Top 3.

Yamaha is also pleased with this impressive step forward made on the Japanese bike. The feedback from the two regular riders, Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, combined with that of the riders from the new satellite team Pramac, the experienced Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller, has been invaluable in gathering a lot of data before the start of the season.

“Overall, these two tests, the Shakedown and the Official Test, were positive for our team, "emphasizes Massimo Meregalli, director of the official Yamaha team. We were able to compare the data from last year's winter testing and GP with this year's testing, and the lap times show that we have improved. It's been a while since we had the opportunity to compare data from six riders, and I think it's already having a positive effect on the overall performance."

Cautious optimism at Yamaha

“In line with our company philosophy, we have not made any radical changes, but have continued to progress and introduce updates organically as we continue our testing in 2024, explains the Italian leader. The combined effort of the two Yamaha Factory teams MotoGP has started well in my opinion. It is still too early to say about our general level. To better understand our real potential, the Buriram test will be more revealing because all the teams start their tests there at the same time. So, caution on the Yamaha side, but also a certain optimism before the season kicks off in Thailand on March 2. An optimism that we haven't seen for years in the Japanese clan!

ALSO READ > Jorge Martin successfully operated on after Malaysia accident, Aprilia disputes Michelin's version