“No magic” but Yamaha sets sights on KTM and Aprilia - EXCLUSIVE

The next step in Yamaha’s MotoGP recovery is to ‘close the gap’ to KTM and Aprilia this season and perhaps break out of Concession rank D.

Yamaha, like Honda, has been in the bottom concession ranking since the MotoGP benefit system was revised to four levels, based on a percentage of constructors’ points, for the start of 2024.

Although the system is designed to be dynamic, none of the five manufacturers have changed their ranking.

Ducati still occupies rank A, receiving the least technical benefits, due to scoring over 85% of the maximum constructors’ points.

KTM and Aprilia are in band C, for those with 35-60%.

Honda and Yamaha get the most perks, including exemption from the engine development freeze, for scoring under 35%. The percentages are recalculated twice per year.

“It’s nice to have them [concessions], to use for development, but clearly we want to go fast as soon as possible. So we hope to lose the concessions as soon as possible!” Yamaha technical director Max Bartolini told Crash.net.

Yamaha was without a podium last season, with star rider and 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo just 13th in the world championship.

Can Yamaha challenge Ducati?

Paolo Pavesio, the new managing director of Yamaha Motor Racing and Monster Yamaha MotoGP team principal, admits it's unrealistic to think the M1 can bridge the gap to Ducati in a single winter.

“We have to be realistic, but we also need to challenge ourselves and we are here to challenge ourselves,” Pavesio told Crash.net.

“We have a gap to close. There is a manufacturer today [Ducati], which has clearly done a better job than anybody else. Fair enough.

“They will have two bikes less on the grid this year. We have taken two bikes more [Pramac].

“Then there were two challengers of this brand last year  [Aprilia and KTM]. And the other two, from the east of the world [Yamaha and Honda], which are trying to catch-up.”

Being a contender for ‘best of the rest’ behind Ducati is the next goal for Yamaha, through a steady improvement in qualifying and race results.

“First of all, we need to close the gap with KTM and Aprilia,"  Pavesio added. "Because if you want to catch the leader [Ducati], you need to regain positions step by step.

“When I see our Q2 presence becoming standard, that’s the first step. And then you start to fight not only for the top 7-8, but maybe P5. And then the next step is maybe we can see a Yamaha on the podium. But we need to be realistic.”

While the engine homologation rules mean a big spike in European bike development over the winter, Yamaha’s continuous stream of upgrades means progress should be more linear.

“Since we can develop [with concessions], we will develop all year long. So I expect that the progress we started at the end of last year will continue all season long,” Pavesio said.

“We are open with our riders, they know the development plan and they see how many things they can test. Because there is no magic.”

Bartolini: “We need to see the first race”

Pre-season testing kicked off with Quartararo and Yamaha straight into 'best of the rest' behind Ducati with third on the overall timesheets at the Sepang test.

“We did a lot of work this winter and it looks like we made an improvement,” a cautious Bartolini said in Malaysia.

“But we need to see the first race to understand if we’ve recovered a bit of the gap. Some of the things we brought work better. So on that side, we're happy.”

But the Sepang performance was helped by access to the previous Shakedown and the Buriram test, on the stiffer construction rear tyres, proved tougher.

Nonetheless, Quartararo finished eighth on the Thai timesheets and delivered a Sprint race simulation close to the best by Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) and Joan Mir (Honda).

One of Bartolini’s goals has been to exploit more of the Michelin rear tyre, something Ducati does better than the rest.

“This has been part of the development during the winter,” he confirmed. “I'm still convinced we are a little bit far away and need to work more in that direction.

“If we can find the combination of a strong front, with a little bit more rear [grip], maybe we can at least fight.”

Also a work-in-progress is blending the best of European and Japanese race engineering.

“I’m honestly impressed by the effort that all the guys on the Yamaha side and also the new guys, are putting into the project. I think everyone is very excited,” he said.

“It's difficult to say how much we have still to change. For sure we are trying to mix the two mindsets. I think still we have a little bit of work to do but it’s going in the right direction.”

Another logistical challenge is to support Yamaha’s new factory-backed Pramac project, which will see four M1s on the grid for the first time since 2022.

“Because we have one more team, we are trying to optimise the communication between the teams,” Bartolini said. “We are also trying to mix the European staff and Japanese staff so they can work more together.

“As we have one part of our project in Japan and one part in Italy, we have to consider the different time zones and languages… There are a lot of video calls!”

Bartolini’s second season as Yamaha’s MotoGP technical director and Pavesio’s first full year as team principal begins with next weekend’s Thai Grand Prix.