Dovizioso: Yamaha ‘realise the reality, said sorry to me’

The triple title runner-up, without a ride for the start of last season before returning to MotoGP action with Yamaha’s satellite team from September’s Misano round, has a best finish of just 14th place so far this season.

But with even reigning champion Fabio Quartararo finishing no better than seventh place in the dry so far this year, it’s clear that the M1 is lagging technically.

Dovizioso believes a lack of grip is the root cause of the M1’s troubles, something only Quartararo’s unique riding style is able to compensate for, alongside the much-publicised lack of top speed.

“For sure Fabio shows the way. But if you don't ride in that way, I think it's very difficult to be competitive in this moment with Yamaha. And I'm struggling, but we keep working,” Dovizioso said in Portimao.

“We have to do, two things: first is to continue to try to adapt to the bike, because it's the thing we can do [ourselves] during the race weekends, and it's one way to reduce the gap, and the second thing is to work with Yamaha to develop the bike.

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“I think Yamaha are in a bit of a difficult situation at this moment. Still there is a possibility to be strong, because Fabio is showing even when he is struggling he can arrive seventh.

“So for sure you can be faster with Yamaha [than I am now], but as Yamaha confirm when we have meetings, they know very well in this moment they are struggling a little bit.

“I also did a technical meeting with Yamaha today [Thursday], with the project leader.

“It's nice to work with them because they are completely open to speak with, and they realise the reality, and they say sorry to me when I was finishing 29 seconds [from the winner] in America.

“So that's nice, because they understand the situation, and together we will try to be better.”

Dovizioso before MotoGP Portimao: 'I hope they try something aggressive'

“I think in this moment they realise how heavily they have to work in some areas,” Dovizioso added. “How long it will take to have something, I can't know, because I don't know them very well.

“I hope they will decide to try something aggressive in some areas, because I think it's very important in this moment to try something like that. But I don't know if this will happen and especially when, because it takes time to create the material.

“In my opinion, the situation is this: if I compare to 2012 [at Tech3 Yamaha], the DNA of the bike is very very similar, it didn't change. The Yamaha now is not bad. I think it has the same really positive things, but the negatives are a bit bigger, plus I think some competitors work a lot and they become a bit more competitive.

“I think if you are a rider who uses the speed in the middle of the corners with lean angle, and not really pick up the bike and try to accelerate, it’s the way to be fast with the Yamaha, like for example Jorge [Lorenzo] when he was in Yamaha.

“I think that style suits the bike in a perfect way. In the past I didn't ride that way but I was able to be competitive [in 2012]. This is the thing I was trying to explain before, I think the lack of grip we have on the rear is too big [now] to use your way to ride. So now if you don't use the positive things of the bike in a perfect way, you [struggle].”

While Quartararo holds fifth in the world championship, with one wet podium at Mandalika, Monster Yamaha team-mate Morbidelli is 15th in the standings.

Rookie Darryn Binder is 19th (courtesy of tenth in the wet Mandalika race) on the A-spec bike with RNF team-mate Dovizioso 21st, not helped by technical troubles in two of the four races.

With engine design now frozen until the end of the season, any Yamaha updates would likely focus on areas such as the one available aero update, plus chassis, electronics or peripheral engine components such as the intake and exhaust systems.