What would a virtual presentation be without a hashtag? The one chosen by Yamaha is #InItToWinIt, a little tongue twister that speaks for itself, a shared goal that the Iwata maker has been unable to meet since 2015. After Honda’s successes, it was Suzuki who took advantage of Marquez’s absence last year when everyone named the M1 as favorites for the title.
After two 1-2s in Jerez with Quartararo and Vinales (the new pairing of the official team) the disappointments outweighed the successes last year and only Morbidelli was somehow able to save the season without getting the new bike or switching to the first team for 2021.
Lin Jarvis, Yamaha’s MotoGP boss, doesn’t want to point a finger at the French: “I don’t think the pressure was Quartararo’s problem last year – he said – AAfter winning the first two races, expectations were so high, but the mistakes were technical problems and a lack of consistency. We didn’t give Fabio the tools to keep winning so it was our fault. He is very young, he has won three races and I think he can win more this year. It’s up to us to get him in the right condition. “
Morbidelli also won three races, but that wasn’t enough to guarantee him an official motorcycle.
“Franco had a great second half of the season, he impressed a lot of people. There are various reasons for this choice: An official bike costs more and we are not exactly the best time to sponsor, and you can’t decide something like that in November, you need time to provide the material. Morbidelli deserved a works bike, but unfortunately he won’t have one. However, last year his bike was very close to the factory bikes and with the engine development freeze, I don’t think he will be at a huge disadvantage.
In addition to Vinales, you have chosen Quartararo. Will it be difficult to manage them in one box?
“If there are problems it means that both of them will fight for victory and I think they can, I think they can both be in the top three overall. They get along well, they have the same passion for motocross, I would say we start the season with a very solid base. They’ll be able to push each other and learn, but the same goes for Valentino Rossi, who is in the garage next door and has the same bike as hers. “
Will Valentino and Petronas compete to become the Yamaha satellite team in 2022?
“As you know, our contract expires at the end of the year and then there will be various changes, because Aprilia and Suzuki could also have a second team from next year. Petronas has done extremely well over these two years, we have no doubts about his abilities and as far as I know VR46 has an option to get into MotoGP. Given the relationship we have with the two structures, I think there are two candidates, but we have not yet started talks, we will do so between April and May ”.
Coming back to the near future, what year will 2021 be?
“I hope it will be Yamaha’s year, but nobody knows (laughs). I didn’t expect any technical problems for 2020, but I think we will have a very balanced bike this year. We will have a lot to do with” tests in Qatar and I am delighted that Crutchlow will be working with us.
Have the engine reliability issues been permanently resolved?
“Yes, because we start with flawless valves. Over the past year we have learned a lot about how to use our engines because we were forced to use them for many kilometers. I I have no doubts about its reliability but I also know our rivals’ lack of performance remains but that hasn’t stopped us from winning seven races in 2020 and we can do it again. “
While the technical problems are resolved, Vinales has to find consistency. How can you do that?
“There have been a lot of changes in his garage in recent years. He started with Ramon Forcada as crew chief, then came Esteban Garcia and other people changed hands. Last year his suspension technician and then a Japanese engineer retired due to Covid, this year we will be working on other details that are essential to win. We will give him our best support ”.
Last year he complained to the press a lot …
“Of course we weren’t happy with these negative comments, however The important thing is to understand the reason for this frustration. There is a need for positivity, negativity doesn’t help, you have to understand the problems and solve them, eliminate the moments when Maverick becomes discouraged.