Yamaha’s worrying admission: ‘We have reached the best from current bike’

Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli have endured a very difficult 2023 season as only two podium finishes have been achieved, both by Quartararo. 

One-lap pace, which had always been a strength for Quartararo, has been lacking compared to riders from other brands, while the ability to overtake has also been very challenging for himself and Morbidelli. 

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Small improvements were made from Yamaha with its current bike compared to last year, however, it’s clear that not enough has been done to bring them back into contention against the likes of Ducati, Aprilia and KTM.

And with 2024 set to be a crucial year for Quartararo, but more so for Yamaha as they look to keep the Frenchman happy, delivering a better bike is a must, especially after Meregalli admitted they have extracted the most from this year’s bike with six races to go.

“We won’t give up,” Meregalli told MotoGP.com. “We will keep working and pushing as much as we can. It’s definitely been a tough season and we are not where we would like to be. 

“The differences compared to a few years ago are more and more competitive. Now we are guided by them. 

“Some topics we are [still] learning and it takes time to learn. It will take time to close the gap in a short time. During the winter we improved the top speed and reduced the drag. 

“But then the increased downforce meant the bike was not turning anymore. Sometimes we discovered that it was not about downforce but about something else. 

“It looks like we have now reached the best [potential] from the current bike. We need to make a step further. In Misano, the main item was the new engine. 

“Everybody is looking for more power. We achieved the expectation that we had from the beginning.”

One area where Yamaha did clearly improve their bike was the engine as top speed has been much better relative to their rivals, although not enough to make them stronger.

But that said, more is needed in that area as test rider Cal Crutchlow has been very vocal about the traits the current engine has.

“The engine is not completely what we’re looking for,” said Cructhlow. “But in one way the engine is smoother which is the direction I believe we need to go in. 

Meregalli went a step further by saying: “Since Cal joined us he has always complained about the aggresitivity of the engine. Then Fabio started complaining about this and those comments are guiding our development.”