MotoGP | Here are Yamaha's obstacles to having a satellite team

After 26 seasons at the helm of Yamaha, Lin Jarvis revealed this weekend in an interview with Motorsport.com that 2024 will be his last year as manager of the three-tuning fork brand. Before closing this chapter, the Briton wanted to sign the renewal of Fabio Quartararo, the pillar of the project, until the end of 2026. Having received the “yes” from the 2021 world champion, the manager's efforts are now focused on recovering the satellite team which Yamaha gave up at the end of 2022, not renewing with RNF, which signed with Aprilia.

In a period in which the analysis of motorcycle data has become a fundamental element for the evolution of prototypes, having only two units of M1 on the grid is a clear handicap that Jarvis wants to remedy. However, in order to realize this desire, he must convince one of the independent teams, a considerable obstacle, if we take into consideration that the only options available would be to leave Ducati, with which they race, to move to Yamaha. Therefore, the maneuver does not seem brilliant, if we take into account the difference in performance between one bike and another.

Until a few months ago, most of the clues suggested that VR46 was the appropriate structure for this alliance that the House of Iwata is looking for. In particular, for the bond that exists between Valentino Rossi and the Japanese brand, of which he is an ambassador. However, the reality is that the Tavullia team is one step away from extending its commitment to Ducati for the next two seasons (2025 and 2026), with an option to go even further. The latter is not a detail to be underestimated, given that all the chess pieces are now being placed and the game will begin here in 2027, when the new technical regulation will come into play, characterized by the reduction in engine displacement (to 850cc). and the limitation of aerodynamics.

“I'm still optimistic that we can go back to having a satellite team in 2025, because we want it to be that way. As far as I know, VR46 and Ducati haven't formalized anything yet. Reaching our goal will be the best news for the championship and for Yamaha,” Jarvis said in a chat with Motorsport.com that took place in Austin.

Despite the hope of Yamaha's top manager, the offer that VR46 received from Borgo Panigale brings together practically all the ambitions of Rossi's “tribe”. Alessio Salucci, director and right-hand man of the “Doctor”, expressed himself in this very direct way, speaking to the author of these lines. “Yamaha is my second home. But, first of all, it should offer us a more competitive bike. The Ducati is a great bike and its performance is very high. We owe it to our members. Change is not easy,” commented Uccio. The only “but” for Salucci is that signing with Borgo Panigale does not give the possibility of counting on an official Desmosedici for the next two years, given that Pramac has this condition exclusively. At the moment, at least.

With VR46 practically out of any possibility, Yamaha's focus is now on trying to recruit Paolo Campinoti's team, and for that the emotional factor will play. Motorsport.com understands that Pramac has until the summer break to exercise an option that entitles it to unilaterally renew with Ducati until 2026. By signing, it would maintain the privilege of being the brand's only factory-backed team for another two seasons Italian. Once we reach 2027, it would lose this exclusivity, and with this, one of the two official bikes, leaving us with one.

Dejará Paolo Campinoti, owner of Pramac Racing, joins Ducati to join Yamaha

Photo credit: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

As painful as this step backwards may be, it is difficult to imagine Pramac wanting to give up its current status. This allows the team to win races and fight for the title, guaranteeing visibility that it would lose if it decided to join Yamaha. By opting for the latter, the safest thing is that VR46 would inherit this role until 2026, going from not having any factory Desmosedici to two.

The relationship between Pramac and VR46 has become tense in recent times and this leaves Ducati perplexed, open to any possibility. “Honestly, we have no idea what Pramac might decide,” says an authorized voice from the Ducati offices at COTA. Changing the red bikes for blue ones is not a simple maneuver from an operational point of view, especially if we consider the large amount of resources that Ducati allocates to Pramac, which does not have a large infrastructure.

In case Campinoti opts to exploit his team's good moment, Yamaha would have to look elsewhere, and this would probably lead them to try to persuade Gresini. The Faenza team, in parallel, wants to convince Ducati to get an official Desmosedici in 2025, with the intention of using it as a requirement for Marc Marquez to stay.

This is a possibility that seems unrealistic at a time when many aspire to this preferential treatment from the brand that dominates the world championship and which, in turn, seeks to reduce the investment involved in the championship, within the limits as possible.

While it is certain that Gresini has renewed the agreement until the end of 2025, it is also true that there is a release clause linked to compensation. Having reached this point, we need to see if Yamaha wants to take on this expense to return to bringing four M1s to the track.

The difference in potential that can currently be seen between the Ducatis and the Yamahas perfectly offsets the “overbooking” of requests that the former has and the scarcity of those that the latter has.