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04 Oct 2022 by Luigi Ciamburro
In the 2022 MotoGP season the Yamaha riders are in trouble, with the exception of Fabio Quartararo. But the world title begins to falter.
Thailand was one of the worst MotoGP races for Yamaha this season, not just in Fabio Quartararo’s garage. The Nice champion remains the leader of the World Championship despite the “zero” accumulated at Buriram, at the end of a race in which he could not help but reach the finish line, sinking from 4th to 17th place after just one lap. Probably one of the worst starts in his career for the Iwata driver who left the Chang Circuit without meeting the media and team leaders.
Quartararo remains MotoGP leader
For most of the remaining 24 laps Fabio Quartararo passed them behind test driver Cal Crutchlow, before gaining his sterile position just before the checkered flag. The Brit gave way, aware that both were racing for the same House, an overtaking that leaves no points, very bitter in the mouth and makes the Frenchman angry. After a day of absolute silence Quartararo left a message on social media, waiting for the next round in Australia. “What a nightmare… Unfortunately we had a terrible race and we didn’t manage to score a point. After a good weekend in dry conditions it rained just before the race. This year we were fast, but we had difficulties, problems and a bad feeling. I want to thank the Thai fans, see you next year. Time to reset, train and prepare Philipp Island“.
Franco Morbidelli’s analysis
It’s hard to understand what happened on the # 20 YZR-M1 without his statements. But to shed light on the Thai weekend are Franco Morbidelli and the English tester who arrived to replace the resigning Andrea Dovizioso. Franky, 13th at the finish line and finally in the points, explained that during the GP “the pressure of the front tire has increased and this has precipitated its performance. It made life very difficult for us when we were trying to overtake“. Unfortunately, the transalpine colleague is experiencing a difficult phase in his career after winning the 2021 MotoGP title. “We all know that every weekend he is forced to fight with a large number of Ducatis who usually help Bagnaia – underlines Franco Morbidelli -. To this we must add the weak points of the bike“.
Crutchlow remembers who Fabio is
Cal Crutchlow also complained of pressure problems on the front tire, the source of all Yamaha’s ills in Thailand. “It wasn’t Yamaha’s day, that’s the truth. We couldn’t turn the bike, the front tire got too hot and the pressure increased too much… The front tire pressure was too high throughout the race. There is nothing more to say“. A result that does not detract from the talent of Fabio Quartararo, the only one who manages to squeeze the M1 to the limit by exploiting the curve. “What we are seeing in Yamaha is the Marquez effect“.
A look at the overall standings of the MotoGP championship shows that “the other Yamaha riders are not as fast as Fabio, although I don’t think they are doing a bad jobCrutchlow concluded. “Fabio just does an amazing job. The bike lacks power, so you have to squeeze it to make up for that lack. What Fabio does with the bike is very special in this sense“.
