Anyone who watched MotoGP in 2021 will have been very impressed with Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman had the best MotoGP season of anyone for many a year, and his speed and consistency meant he wrapped up the 2021 championship with a few rounds to spare. His title marked the first for Yamaha since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015, and he collected five victories and 10 podiums in total on his way to that championship. Surely then, he would be able to win more races in 2022 and fight for the title, right?
Well, two races into the season, and things have not gone that well so far for Yamaha. The opening race of the season saw Quartararo finish a distant ninth on his Yamaha. In Indonesia, he did finish on the podium in second. But that owed a lot to the wet conditions, and his own heroic performance to take pole in qualifying. When it comes to the equipment he is currently using, it really hasn’t been as good as he had in 2021 and there are still areas in which Yamaha really need to improve. And if they don’t, they might yet lose their star rider.
A Question Of Power For Yamaha
The Yamaha has been the slowest bike in a straight line for a few seasons now. But even in 2021, they were still able to win both races at Qatar that opened the season. Not so in 2022. The highest placed Yamaha in that race was Quartararo, but he was only able to finish the race in 9th place, while teammate Franco Morbidelli finished in 11th. Ahead of the Yamaha bikes were the Ducati, Suzuki and even a KTM of Brad Binder in second place. It was a sign of how things aren’t where they need to be for Yamaha.
Down the long start/finish straight, even the Suzuki’s could blast past the Yamaha. In the corners, it looked every bit the bike that took Quartararo to the title in 2021, but it was clear that it wasn’t as on the pace as it had been the year prior. Things were much better in the dry in Indonesia, where Quartararo took pole position, but there will be more tracks like Qatar where Yamaha might suffer again. Mugello perhaps being the next obvious one. But what of their star man, Quartararo himself?
Yamaha Might Lose Their Star Riders
Pretty much every key player in the MotoGP rider market needs a new contract beyond 2022, including Quartararo. It is unlikely that Morbidelli will move to another team as he, so far, seems happy where he is. But beyond that, Quartararo has already made noises about how Yamaha must do more to keep him at the team. And by that, he means in terms of upgrading the bike, showing improvements and keeping pace with their rivals. This isn’t something that looks to have happened thus far, despite that improvement in pace in Indonesia.
Ducati has in the past made a move for the Frenchman, and Honda would probably be keen on him too. Although that is perhaps only likely if injury were to force Marc Marquez into an early retirement. Effectively, if Yamaha keep allowing Quartararo to do what he did in Indonesia, there is no reason for him to leave the team that gave him his first title, and the manufacturer that gave him his big break in the sport. And that is something that Yamaha will want to ensure happens. They know that it wouldn’t be good to lose their star man.
Keeping Up The Forward Momentum
Indonesia was definitely a bit of a relief for Yamaha and Quartararo. But there are signs it’s not quite right yet for the Japanese manufacturer. The next highest rider in Indonesia on a Yamaha was Morbidelli in 7th, followed by Darryn Binder in 11th on the RNF satellite Yamaha, while his teammate Andrea Dovizioso retired with a mechanical issue. So is the bike improving, or did Quartararo just put in a Herculean effort? It could easily be both, and Quartararo did a great job all weekend in Indonesia. But the next two or three races will be more telling to see if Yamaha have kept up the momentum they seemed to have gained.
MotoGP Needs A Strong Yamaha
MotoGP needs Yamaha up at the front on a consistent basis. With two great riders on the factory bikes, it’s important they do well. Equally, many would love to see Dovizioso fighting for the podium once again after his split with Ducati at the end of 2020. But Qatar was a bit of a warning sign. Things might not be quite where the Japanese manufacturer wanted them to be as we really get this season underway. Don’t count them out yet, and definitely watch out for some Quartararo magic. But be careful, Yamaha might not have the season they were hoping for.
Sources: Motorsport, Reuters, Autosport, Breaking Latest News, Tek Deeps
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Henry Kelsall
(2229 Articles Published)
Covering anything from JDM cars to classic jets. Contributed to HotCars since the Autumn of 2018. Writes features, news and list articles.
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