Andrea Locatelli: “We already know where we need to improve”

Andrea Locatelli has emphasised the need for positivity in his preparation for the 2025 WorldSBK campaign, as Yamaha continues to look for improvements.

Yamaha’s 2025 testing campaign is yet to start after the Japanese brand elected to skip the post-race test in Jerez last month, but Locatelli is sure, in any case, that it knows where it needs to improve.

“After Jerez, we don’t make a test because we want to stop a little bit, to reset everything,” Locatelli told WorldSBK.com at the EICMA show in Milan.

“Now, we will make two days in Jerez. We have some new parts on the bike to try. For sure we need to try to improve in many areas, but we already know where we need to look and where we need to try to improve, so the guys start to prepare the new season in the best way.

“For sure, they will be important for us these two test days; we need to hope also for the good weather because it’s important for us to test in normal conditions, not in the wet, to be clear.

“But, we’re looking at 2025 in a positive way; I want to be positive, we finished the season in a good way, so we are really positive to try the new things.”

Expanding on his positive end to 2024, Locatelli added: “In the last two rounds we made for sure another step, we move forward. It was so positive, and also I want to be positive because we need to prepare the next season.

“In Jerez we got a podium on Saturday, so we were really happy.

“During this season, we were a bit in trouble, especially in the middle of the season — it was so complicated to stay in the top-five, but in the end of the season we made a step forward and returned to the top-five.

“So, this is something positive, I believe that next season we can fight and stay all the races in the top-five.

“I want to be positive, this is my type of life. I want to look to next season, and I want to prepare during this winter test to arrive in Phillip Island ready and fight again to try to win.”