Sepang Test 2023
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli only have one sleep to go before they get back aboard their YZR-M1s for the first official IRTA MotoGP testing day of 2023.
They plan to work tirelessly during the Official MotoGP Sepang Test, held from 10-12 February.
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director
“It’s been a longer winter break than usual. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’re very happy to be back at the track. We have a good atmosphere in the garage after the Shakedown Test. It was a shame that rain cost us some time, so we hope for fully dry days during the upcoming test to get through all the testing items, even though the weather forecasts for this weekend are not great.
“I’m impressed with the proactive work done by the Yamaha engineers over the winter: we have many things to evaluate here. The number of items they prepared for this test is really huge! We have an updated chassis, aerodynamics, rear arm, and engine.
“I expect Friday morning to be used for the riders to get back up to speed after three months of no riding. After that, they have an intense working plan. It will be difficult to finish it all, considering the amount of time and tyres available to us as well as the weather conditions playing a key part. But we will try to get as much done as possible to start 2023 off in the right way.”
Quartararo hasn‘t been idling about during the off season. Before travelling to the Sepang International Circuit he has been keeping busy with promotional activities as well as around-the-clock training sessions. The Frenchman is feeling top fit and is determined to make 2023 his year. The positive Sepang Shakedown Test results and the feedback from Cal Crutchlow, the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team rider, have put El Diablo in a competitive mindset straight away.
Fabio Quartararo
“The wait is over! This winter break was very long, but in a way that was good for me because it gave me time to train and prepare for the upcoming season. It will be a long one – we know this. We need to put in good work during this test to make sure we are ready for it. I‘m excited to try the 2023 spec and to see what progress we made. I arrived in Sepang a bit earlier and spent some time at the track during the Shakedown Test. I heard and saw positive things, so I can‘t wait to try it for myself.”
Morbidelli arrives in Malaysia happy to be reunited with his crew and his bike. He kept busy training during the winter break, both on and off track, to make sure he would be able to hit the ground running in the first test of 2023. Fully aware of the importance of the upcoming three track days and the high quantity of testing items on his list, Franco is keen to get to work. Besides working on his feeling with the new YZR-M1 bike, he will be putting in a high number of laps to collect as much data as possible for the Yamaha engineers.
Franco Morbidelli
“We are finally back together as a crew. This test is a fresh start, and you can feel the excitement. The Shakedown Test went well, so there is a positive atmosphere in our team. During the upcoming test I aim to show a good performance level. We improved towards the end of 2022, and now it‘s time to build onto that and make further steps. We have a lot of things to test in the next three days. We will work hard, as always, to make a good start to the 2023 pre-season.“
