Yamaha will race with two points in the 2023 MotoGP season. Team manager Massimo Meregalli indicates a new strategy.
Fabio Quartararo returned home after the end of the 2022 MotoGP season, first passing through the Eicma, where Yamaha announced that he would give him the world championship YZR-M1 with which he won the 2021 world title, before passing into the hands of Ducati and Pecco Bagnaia. A historic relic that will soon be parked in his living room in Andorra, hoping he will soon be able to add more.
Naturally there is a bitter taste in the mouth for the final outcome of the championship. Until the summer break, his reaffirmation seemed obvious, then the engine power handicap and the preponderant rise of Ducati reversed the trend. From an advantage of 91 points after the Sachsenring victory, Fabio Quartararo finished as vice world champion, 17 points behind I’m sorry Bagnaia. A comeback that hurts the rider and Yamaha, which ensured him more top speed for the 2023 World Championship.
The hypothesis of the triple wild card
Will the Iwata technicians be able to guarantee him a motorcycle that can approach the power of the Desmosedici GP? Up until the Misano test, everything seemed to be going swimmingly, thanks also to the arrival of engineer Luca Marmorini. But the further development of the engine did not meet the demands of Fabio Quartararo in the Valencia Irta test. Not an easy situation since from now on there are only two M1s on the track, given the exit of the RNF team, which has moved to Aprilia.
There will be only two prototypes on track in 2023, that of ‘El Diablo’ and that of Franco Morbidelli. At this point all that remains is to insist on the collaboration of Cal Crutchlow, official test rider of the Yamaha MotoGP project, who could be used three times as a wild card in the next MotoGP. Already last season he replaced Andrea Dovizioso in the last six Grands Prix, finishing in the points four times.
It would certainly be of great help on some weekends in 2023, being able to collect data on the tires in support of the two factory riders. “It is an issue that we will discuss very soon, because we have seen what we can get from him – commented the team manager Massimo Meregalli -. Having at least a third driver in three races will help us“. After all Cal Crutchlow would be happy to help the transalpine champion: “What Fabio did is really difficult. Honestly, even thinking about scoring points is sometimes difficult with this M1. So doing what he did is great and we have to look forward to it for next year“.
