A low-key start to 2023 MotoGP testing as far as the timesheets were concerned did not match Fabio Quartararo’s enthusiasm, the 2021 champion describing his and Yamaha’s first day at Sepang as the first “real test” of his career.
Quartararo finished the day in 11th, one place behind team-mate Franco Morbidelli, but overall happy with the work done by Yamaha’s engineering division over the series’ winter break.
The bike’s lack of acceleration and top-end power is something Quartararo – and many of his predecessors – have bemoaned for some time, but Yamaha has been working on bringing something more powerful for 2023 since it hired former Ferrari and Toyota Formula 1 engine builder Luca Marmorini early last year.
An initial spec of that engine made its first appearance at the Misano test last September and was met with delight by Quartararo in particular, before a still-unexplained blip in form at the post-season outing at Valencia in November sent the then recently deposed champion into the winter break nursing doubts about what he would find at Sepang.
Those doubts now appear to have been nullified, based on his comments after the first day of testing – even if he did admit that, as expected, the extra power of the new engine has had a negative effect on other areas of the bike.
“Today was not an easy day, because we had to test many things,” Quartararo said. “We don’t have a lot of tyres for the test, so today we had to use the tyres we don’t really want and it wasn’t easy after three months of not riding.
“But I’m really happy because the top speed has improved. Now we have to look at the chassis and the aerodynamics, the throttle response of the engine, which is something I was struggling a little bit with today.
“But I would say that it was a positive day after such a long time of not having rode a bike. It was a day where we tried a lot of things that I couldn’t tell were definitely better or not, but the new chassis and the engine’s response was very clear.
“In the past, last year, we were struggling with the chassis but especially with top speed. Now, the top speed is better but we’re struggling a little bit more in corners.
“But we have two more days here, two days in Portimao, and lots of time to focus on what is the best bike.”
And while there might still be some work in the coming weeks to further refine the bike, the good news will be that having an engine up to the task means that everything else can be treated as secondary.
That’s because, under MotoGP rules, Yamaha’s engine specification must be homologated and then sealed ahead of the opening race of the year in Portugal in six weeks’ time – a hard deadline that has to be adhered to even while teams continue to work on the chassis and refine the electronics package that controls the engine.
Quartararo might not always have walked away from pre-season testing delighted with the amount of new parts on offer to him, but he seemed content to have got through so much work as the Sepang test began.
More new Yamaha parts are expected to come in the next few days including, it seems, the first appearance of Yamaha’s take on MotoGP’s newest trend: side fairings that help generate ground effect, essentially helping suction the bike to the circuit.
“The good thing is that we clarified something that is better,” Quartararo explained.
“But it’s the first time I think in my career that I’ve made a real test. In the past I’ve tried maybe a frame or a swingarm, but today I did one full test. It was a little bit of a mess, but a good experience.
“We had many things to try, and we didn’t really focus on making a best lap or whatever.
“And maybe you’ll not wait for so long to see [the new fairing]. Maybe you’ll see something during these next two days.”
And the prospective outcome, when he finally does get to put everything together, seems to be considerably higher than it was over the previous 12 months – as he watched his title hopes slip away to Pecco Bagnaia – something that right now is filling him with plenty of hope.
“Last year, before we started the test, we knew which bike we were going to use for all the season,” he added.
“Right now, we have many options. Step by step, we need to find a direction, but last year we basically had this and that was it. This was important.”
That feeling of improvement within the Yamaha camp wasn’t just limited to Quartararo’s side of the garage, either, with Morbidelli also pleased with the updates to the bike – even if his own major task was continuing to find his own path back to competitiveness with the bike.
Championship runner-up to Joan Mir in 2020, Morbidelli has struggled since switching to the factory team halfway through the 2021 season to replace Maverick Vinales.
But he said that as well as his own progress and the work done by Yamaha over winter, the biggest change he had noted so far was a renewed attitude in the Yamaha box towards getting back to winning ways.
“It was a busy day,” Morbidelli said. “Yamaha brought a lot of things to try, and this is positive.
“The team has begun the year with a great attitude: quite aggressive. They really are giving their maximum to step up our package, and I’m really pleased to see that.
“We have a lot of work to do and ahead of us, but if we keep going with this mindset, we can make it happen.”
