MotoGP

Small change or big error? Riders debate impact of 2020 Yamaha

by Matt Beer
4 min read

Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Fabio Quartararo have different explanations for the recent emergence of Franco Morbidelli and the older-spec M1 as the manufacturer’s point of reference in 2020.

Quartararo’s breakthrough 2019 performances meant he was upgraded to works-spec machinery for 2020, with team-mate Morbidelli instead getting what is believed to be a ‘19 bike in end-of-year spec.

But while Quartararo swept the Jerez double-header that kicked off the ‘20 campaign, the pendulum swung dramatically in Morbidelli’s favour in the latter half of the year, as he won two of the last four races while none of the other Yamahas even graced the podium.

With Morbidelli now poised to finish as the top Yamaha in the standings, the situation is reminiscent to that of 2017 and 2018, when Vinales and Rossi on factory-spec machinery often looked second-rate in comparison to an older-specification M1 run by Tech3 by Johann Zarco.

But when this was put to him by The Race, Rossi said: “In 2017 the situation was a bit different because the bike of 2017 was really different but at the end, they modified in the weight distribution, and it was very difficult to ride. Sometimes it was fantastic, but after you went to another track and it was really bad.

“The bike was unrideable under the water, under the rain and was also impossible to fix.

“But sincerely, I raced last year with the ’19 and this year with the ’20, for me the difference is not very big. From what I remember.”

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Quartararo, however, believes the change to be “really big”, and admits that he can’t help but wonder how his season would’ve gone with the ‘19 bike, even though the new Michelin rear tyre introduced this year proved a big differentiating factor.

When asked by The Race whether better performances by an older-spec Yamaha were a source of frustration, he said: “I think it’s more frustrating for – I would not say Yamaha, but you know, when you work that much, normally the factory bike, I would not say must be better, but [must be] similar or better.

“You saw that [in terms of] consistency the old bike is working much better. I’m curious to know – unfortunately, I can’t – the potential we had with that new tyre and the old bike.

“In the [off-season] test our pace was extremely fast here, with exactly the same tyre that we raced, and with last year’s bike. And this year we couldn’t get at one second from this pace.”

Having finished runner-up in Valencia last year, Quartararo was 14th in the first race of the ‘20 double-header at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, and crashed in the second race – the Valencian GP. And while Morbidelli dominated that race, the best of the ‘20-spec Yamahas was Vinales in 10th.

Vinales felt the result was “the maximum of our bike from this year”, adding: “It’s difficult to something more”.

And when faced with questions over the ‘19 bike’s apparent advantage, he said: “You have to ask Yamaha because I don’t know. I need to brake, to open gas, but I don’t know much more technically. I try to do more and to improve but… we cannot do much more, honestly.”

He then admitted that he’d like to be able to use the older bike next year – which is complicated by MotoGP’s COVID-induced engine and aero freeze rules – but that he didn’t know whether it was possible.

“I don’t even ask for this. I know we have the 2020 bike, it’s what we chose in the beginning [of the year] and it’s what we need to work with.”

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Morbidelli ‘the fastest rider in MotoGP’ right now

Rossi is Morbidelli’s mentor, and their form at Yamaha has often seemed somewhat interlinked since the latter’s arrival to the Iwata marque’s ranks. However, while Rossi wasn’t competitive in a works-spec bike in Valencia, he stressed his situation was “particular” as his season had been disrupted by his COVID-19 diagnosis and he felt badly in need of a race finish.

Adding to his point about the two specs of Yamaha, Rossi said: “I think that Franco had an unbelievable season, and he’s at this moment the fastest rider of MotoGP, he’s the guy more in shape.

“For me, this made more difference. And we will see what happens next year.”

When Rossi’s words were relayed to Quartararo, he said: “For sure Franco made the step. Last year he made no podiums and this year he’s much faster. For sure Franco improved a lot, and he deserved to, he worked in a really good way.

“But for me, even if I won three races this year, I’m not so happy, because I think with a more consistent bike we could fight for much more, fight for many more victories.

“I’m not so happy. But that’s the bike we wanted at the beginning of the year, we were pushing for that.

“That’s what helped me also to sign with this factory team [for 2021-22], that we wanted this bike [for 2020]. But unfortunately for this year was not the correct choice.”

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