Positive test day for Fabio Quartararo in Misano. The new Yamaha 2023 engine meets the demands of him.
Fabio Quartararo seems to find his smile again after the Misano race ended in 5th place, at the end of 27 laps in which he had to push to the limit to limit the damage. At the end of the first day of IRTA test in Misano the position in the standings matters little, as much as the good sensations resulting from the new 2023 engine specification. It will certainly not be the definitive version, but the Iwata manufacturer is starting to give the first answers to the sample’s requests.
The contractual push and pull led to guarantees in the engine department, starting with the arrival of Luca Marmorini, ex Aprilia and Formula 1. An external figure purely focused on the development of the four-cylinder in-line of the YZR-M1. “Today we tested the first 2023 prototype of the engine and I liked it. For the first time, I saw the speed go up. We are on the right track on the engine. It is the first time since 2019 that we have made a change and I see important differences“.
Quartararo and Yamaha at full throttle
Here at Misano he may not have collected the best result in the race, but he lays the foundations for an even more competitive future. At the end of the morning session Fabio Quartararo he scored 3rd time, 6th in the afternoon. In the pits there were six prototypes for Franco Morbidelli and the World Championship leader, to make comparisons between fairings, frames and engines. A frame is also being examined but requires further investigation. “It worked very well, but I still can’t judge if it’s better. We still have to decide whether to use it for the rest of the season“.
The priority of the engine was almost fulfilled, but it is not enough for Quartararo. “We managed to reach a decent top speed. Yamaha should be praised, not just criticized. But I still have requests. We need to take further steps forward“. Like many colleagues, he closed the first day of testing early MotoGP in Misano, Wednesday will be another fruitful day of data collection. “We still have something planned with aerodynamics, because Franco has already tested a new fairing with modified wings“.
Six races missing at the end of the 2022 MotoGP championship, Aragon will be another unfavorable track to the Yamaha M1, at least on paper. The most favorable circuits will perhaps be the eastern ones, where rivals have little data available since they have not been flying to Asia for a Grand Prix since 2019, before the Covid emergency. “I don’t think there is a big difference on our bike, so I think maybe we can have an advantage. We haven’t been to Japan, Thailand and Australia since 2019, so let’s hope they have a little more difficulty, although I don’t really believe it. (laughs) “.
