"We didn't see the performance from the engine that we were expecting."

MotoGP Valencia Test

Focus on Yamaha

Yamaha were hard at work too as they plot their route back to the summit of MotoGP, and nobody completed more laps than the recently deposed 2021 Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). The Frenchman did 92 laps, testing out a new chassis, two new aero packages, large rear wings and the 2023 engine with his best time seeing him finish the test P9.

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“It was a long day. We had a lot of homework to do, so we had to maximise the day as much as we could. We tested a new chassis, aero package, winglets, and a new engine. As always, some things worked better for us than others. We were surprised that we didn’t see the performance from the engine that we were expecting. We have tested it before in Barcelona, Misano, Motegi, and Jerez, but we had different feedback here. We will send it back to Japan along with today’s data and check what the reason is. Aside from that, we are satisfied with the work we’ve done today. We got a good result from the aero package and the chassis, with which especially Franky was happy. So, all in all, today’s data has good value.”

Fabio Quartararo – P9

“It was a strange test. We tried a new aero package, a new chassis, and the new engine, but what we expected from the new engine is not what we felt today. It felt different from what we experienced at the previous tests in Catalunya and Misano. We need to analyse to see what happened so we can make a change.

“But in other areas, like downforce, we made a big step. We did two runs with the new chassis and after that we were especially working with the aero package. I think we found something. We will analyse the data well to confirm which option is better. I think we improved a little bit with the rear wings, and I‘m pretty impressed that a little thing on the rear can make us improve in some areas.”

Franco Morbidelli had a good day of testing in Valencia. He entered the track in the morning and immediately noticed an improvement with the new chassis. The Italian used the remaining hours to compare various settings as well as test items for the prototype 2023 YZR-M1 bike. Mostly focusing on collecting data rather than doing a time attack, his best time, a 1‘30.691s, set on lap 81/88, earned him 14th place, 0.659s from first.

Franco Morbidelli – P14

“It has been a busy day. We‘ve done a lot of laps and tried a lot of things. We went over different chassis, two different engine specifications, and some aerodynamic changes. We collected a lot of data – that is important. I‘m sure that the engineers are going to do their best at home in Japan to give us the right improvements for the next season.”