After a shortened 2020 MotoGP season, hampened by the pandemic where we witnessed a somewhat unusual title winner in Suzuki’s Joan Mir, despite only tasting the champagne once throughout the year, has managed to clinch the title at the last round in Valencia, snatching it away from the Yamaha star rider Franco Morbidelli in only his sophmore year.
In an already shortened season, the season was unique, where Yamaha’s fortunes were often challenged only by their reliability and uncharacteristically poor form in certain races. Morbidelli, the satellite team rider, despite losing out on the title, proved that the Iwata-based marquee wasn’t going down without a fight.
All eyes are set on the 2021 season, where Yamaha was expected to continue their strong form.
The 2021 MotoGP World Championship saw the second satellite rider, Fabio Quartararo promoted to the factory team to contest for the title. The Frenchman replaced the nine-time champion in Valentino Rossi, racing alongside his new teammate Maverick Vinales.
Quarararo’s strong start to the season, winning four races and finishing on the podium three times in the first 10 races. The Frenchman continues this form, clinching his first premier-class title with a 65-point lead, with two rounds remaining. But Ducati was catching up quickly.
Quartararo narrowly lost on the 2022 challenge to Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, whose form in the second half of the season allowed him to claw his way back from a massive 91-point deficit and ultimately clinch Ducati’s first Rider Championship since Casey Stoner in 2007.
“I expected much more”
After this narrow loss, the fortunes of the team which has won a total of 23 riders and constructors championships had begun to fade, and the cracks were showing.
There is no question that the Japanese outfit had a tough few seasons, slipping down from 5th, to 7th and 6th in the constructor’s championships over the last three years to which their star rider, Quartararo stated “I expected much more from Yamaha.”
A few things were apparent, their beloved inline-4 engine was, and is currently still showing its weakness. The straight-line speed of the Yamaha has never been their strong point, instead making up for the deficit in agility, traction, and a stellar rider lineup.
However, as Ducati, KTM, and Aprilia have caught up, their asthmatic inline engine was no match for the V4s of the Italian and Austrian-based marquees.
Although the V4 engine promises good fortunes for the team, having already been proved fruitful with their Italian counterparts, it would require a significant redesign of the bike in order to accompany the new heart.
The architecture, aerodynamics, and weight distribution has to be taken into consideration. Not to mention the possible newfound effects offloaded to the rear tires, an issue prominent across the grid in 2024.
For this reason we may consider the Japanese brand’s somewhat conservative approach to development as justified. But even with the key signings of Luca Mamorini and Max Bartolini, both veterans in the paddock, developments for the project still seemed to crawl along at an agonisingly leisurely pace.
Losing the satellite team
Losing its satellite team deal with RNF Racing in 2023 only compounded their troubles, with the team now gathering only half as much data as before, greatly limiting its development prospects.
Ducati stretched its lineup across three different garages, having its factory outfit complimented by the Pramac and Gresini teams, who all openly shared data with one another in a bid to continuously improve their machines. KTM, Aprilia, and Honda also had satellite outfits, leaving Yamaha as the sole factory entry since 2023.
It was clear that solving issues with the race bikes has become endearingly difficult. The inherent drawbacks of having only two prototype machines compared to its competitors were a significant factor in the downfall post-title win.
Eggs in one basket
During this time, however, Yamaha committed a cardinal sin in motorsports. A mistake shared by Honda since Marc Marquez’ injury, and more recently, the Red Bull Racing Team in Formula One. The mistake? Not developing their machines after a successful run, and putting all their eggs in one basket with their star rider.
After a breakthrough title win for Quartararo in 2021, hopes were high and not much development was poured into the 2022 challenger. From the outside, it’s easy to assume that Yamaha seemed optimistic about a second consecutive title.
But this lack of development, combined with parting ways with their satellite outfits, has stripped them of the characteristics they once held with an iron fist to slip away. Agility and traction.
Motor racing is a team sport. One rider alone cannot make up for other shortcomings of the team. In 2022, when Quartararo finished 2nd in the title race, the closest Yamaha rider to him was Morbidelli, down in 19th position. Ever since losing their form post title-win, the team has worked tirelessly to regain their strengths, and now, it looks as if their hard work is beginning to pay off.
With the 2025 season on the horizon, the Japanese manufacturer profited from new concessions which permitted extra testing time. This allowed the outfit to introduce new developments, tested across four prototypes alongside their newly acquired satellite team in Pramac, who broke the chains of their long-term partnership with Ducati.
Hopes are high, with Jack Miller, former rider for Ducati, KTM, and Honda sharing his optimism in regard to the upcoming season. Paolo Pavesio, the newly signed Yamaha chief shared the Australian rider’s optimism, targeting top-five finishes in the latter half of the season.