The fragility of the engine that was originally to be fitted to this season’s M1 made it necessary to be scrapped, as it proved unreliable. This means that Quartararo was forced to embark on his crusade to retain the MotoGP title without the extra “muscle” he has been asking in vain for so long.
Because of this and the step forward expected from the competition, especially Ducati, Yamaha’s top management approached the season with the suspicion that “El Diablo” would be racing with a technical disadvantage. Precisely for this reason, they did not expect the Frenchman to be able not only to conquer the top of the standings, but also to outpace the rest of the competitors, which he instead did.
Quartararo left Germany with a 34-point lead over his closest rival, Aleix Espargaro, more than one Grand Prix. The gap was 32 points after the first race after the summer break (Great Britain), before Pecco Bagnaia completed the biggest comeback in the history of the championship, recovering 91 points for the Yamaha rider.
Speaking to Motorsport.com a few days ago, Lin Jarvis argued that the team leaders somehow expected the stall of the 2022 prototype would leave Quartararo with no chance of retaining the crown. Indeed, the Brit goes further, underlining that the positive momentum that accompanied the # 20 in the first half of the year was unexpected.
“What we didn’t expect was that Fabio would be able to take such a big lead in the first half of the season. We knew he is an extraordinary talent and that he is able to make the most of the bike’s potential. But we thought he would have more problems “, said Jarvis, who however would not define a” failure “if Quartararo were not crowned champion this weekend in Valencia:” I would say it would be more of a missed opportunity “.
To explain the comeback of Bagnaia and the poor resistance of the reigning champion due to the lack of tools, the boss of the Iwata House underlines the displacement of forces of Ducati, which now represents a third of the grid, and the advantages that this entails in terms of data collection.
“Ducati had a very competitive bike as early as 2021. Also, having eight bikes and five or six fast riders in each session offers a lot of information. This bike has great electronics, is very advanced aerodynamically and has an engine. very powerful. It’s the most balanced bike around, “concluded Jarvis.
Lin Jarvis, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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