Alex Rins plots “radical setting” at COTA MotoGP
Alex Rins aims to shake up his Yamaha setup at COTA after a tough start to the 2025 MotoGP campaign.
Friday morning rain prevented any major setup experiments in FP1, but Alex Rins is planning to try a “completely radical setting” on his Yamaha during this weekend’s Americas MotoGP.
After struggling in the opening rounds at Buriram and Termas, Rins believes he needs to take his M1 in a new direction “to feel something” and find a breakthrough.
The Spaniard, a four-time COTA winner - including two MotoGP victories - arrives in Texas with a best finish of 11th so far this season.
“It's always nice to arrive at a GP where you’ve won a lot of times,” Rins said on Thursday. “I’ve had two victories in MotoGP, some in Moto2 and Moto3, so I’m quite happy to be here. I feel the vibe.
“The reality this year is different. We come from two races struggling a lot with the bike.
“Maybe before the season started, everybody - including me - thought we were going to make a step up, at least in the first races.
“But we haven’t been able to yet. Still, there are many races to go. So we need to keep working, especially at this GP.
“If the weather allows, we’re going to test - not new [parts], but a completely radical setting, different from the previous races, to see if the bike works better or worse, but at least to feel something.
“Because right now, my bike setup is different from Fabio [Quartararo] and Miller’s, yet we all have the same problem. So let's see.”
Yamaha’s Sepang Test a false Dawn?
Despite a promising pre-season test at Sepang, Yamaha currently sits last in the Constructors’ standings.
Rins suggested that the high-grip conditions in Malaysia may have masked the M1’s true performance - at least for team-mate Quartararo.
“Fabio rode super fast in Sepang. It looked like he made a step up compared to, for example, me,” Rins explained. “I struggled a lot. I had more or less the same problems in the Sepang test as in the Buriram test, Buriram race, Argentina race.
“So maybe the amount of grip at the [Sepang] test made the result not so realistic.”
Despite Yamaha's early-season struggles, Rins insists he is pushing to the limit to turn things around.
“You can see on track that I’m giving 100%. I don't keep anything in the pocket. But still the result doesn't come. So this means we need to keep working.”
Rins began the COTA weekend with 18th in the soaking wet FP1, when Jack Miller was the top Yamaha in second place.
Depending on the afternoon weather, Rins might need to wait until Saturday's final practice before trying the new set-up.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
