MotoGP Valencia: ‘We were against the red army’ – Yamaha boss Jarvis

07.11.2022 |
MotoGP staff |
MotoGP

Picture: GeeBee Images

Yamaha MotoGP boss Lin Jarvis has taken a sideways swipe at the number of Ducatis on the grid this season, saying it was difficult to battle the red army.

The Iwata factory had helped as many riders as Ducati circulating this year and Jarvis, who will reduce the number of M1s to two in 2023, said the team needs to up its game next season.

“On the one side, I am satisfied because we did everything we could do and Fabio did his maximum. I think we finished the season in style and we were still there at the end,” said Jarvis.

“We had a chance to win today even though we knew from the maths that it was a pretty tall order. We had to win the race and our competitor had to finish 15th or lower, the chance of that happening is statistically super low.

“I am happy with the way we ran the season as a project, I am not super-happy that last year we were champions and this year we are not. We gave it our maximum and everyone could see this year our bike was definitely not the fastest, many times Fabio was riding to the maximum – and sometimes over.

“We were against the red army but I think we have to be content because we gave it our best shot and clearly we need more next year. The Ducati was the best package on the grid, the level of competition we were up against was pretty serious and it wasn’t only one rider of course, they have eight on the grid which is a lot.

“When you have eight riders and the bike is that good if you’re slightly off the pace or in difficulty, you aren’t going to finished second or third, you are going to fnish seventh or eighth, and this is the issue. ”