Yamaha respond to Ducati's surprise prediction about their pace
“That, for me, is a bit too much”
Yamaha boss Massimo Meregalli believes top five results in the 2025 MotoGP season are “a bit too much” to think about despite its strong winter with its new M1.
The Japanese manufacturer went without a podium last season for the first time in the modern era as it slumped further down the grid.
But the technical leadership of Max Bartolini appears to have invigorated the brand, with the bike put on track during the Sepang and Buriram tests turning heads with its encouraging form.
Such has been Yamaha’s pace, especially with Fabio Quartararo, that it has led Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi to brand the pair as rivals for the 2025 season.
Francesco Bagnaia and Massimo Rivola have also noted over the winter that they consider Quartararo to be a threat this season.
Are Yamaha a threat to Ducati?
Despite its strong winter, Meregalli has moved to play down expectations.
“That, for me, is a bit too much,” he told motogp.com when asked if Yamaha was aiming for top five results.
“We always try to be objective and realistic, and I would like to see from the second part of the season a situation that allows us to stay closer to the riders in front.
“But at Sepang we got a good sign and now we also have more engineers, more people, and I hope this will help us speed up everything.”
For the first time since 2022, Yamaha will field four bikes having gained Pramac as a satellite partner.
Meregalli says this has already proven helpful in the pre-season and expects this to “speed up results”.
“First of all we really need to get used to it,” he said of having a factory-supported satellite team.
“But the fact we can have much more data is just an advantage.
“This new partnership is only powerful. So, we have more information to share.
“There is always one corner that one rider is faster than the other. It’s a fact.
“We saw already the benefit of this at Sepang, and also here [at Buriram].
“If three riders or four have the same point of view, it’s enough, and this also helps to speed up the results but also to speed up the performance of the bike.”
