STILL NOT FIXED
Strong results mask Yamaha’s ongoing problems
Yamaha’s MotoGP woes are far from fixed despite good results for their riders in Sunday’s Thai Grand Prix. Maverick Viñales, Valentino Rossi and satellite rider Johann Zarco came home third, fourth and fifth respectively, but with Michelin’s stiffer construction tyres for the Buriram circuit playing to the strengths of the M1, it’s too early to say if their ongoing grip issues have been fixed. Struggling since midway through last season with grip and acceleration issues, the Buriram track’s combination of slow corners and long straights looked to be a recipe for disaster for the Japanese firm, so it was something of a surprise when Rossi and Viñales were able to run at the sharp end.
And while they’ve brought new parts to this weekend’s race and an improved understanding of the control software thanks to the continuing input of electronics guru Michele Gadda, Rossi admitted that he’s not sure where the improvements are coming from. “It’s a surprise for us, because we were in trouble at this track when we tested here. We arrived with some small modifications, but on paper we didn’t expect them to make such a big improvement. I hope with all my heart that they will work at other tracks, but I think that it’s just the tyres and the track that’s giving us such a boost.
“But the race is the best one for Yamaha in the second half of the season and that’s a good thing. We need to understand how much of it is the track and how much we’ve improved, but we’ve got four different tracks left this year to understand that.”
But with Michelin bringing a harder construction of tyre this weekend to cope with the heat generated on the long straights of the Buriram track, it seems like it played to the strengths of the Yamaha’s excellent midcorner speed. Allowing them to maintain the tyre and accelerate on the edge of it while their rivals were trying to sit the bike up as quickly as possible to get on the gas. Explaining his breakthrough result, Viñales said:
“In Aragon, I couldn’t lean the bike, but this weekend it was the strongest point. I felt the best in sectors two and three where it’s all fast corners.
“The bike felt good this weekend. It actually felt like a normal Yamaha again.” However, while Rossi and Viñales might be upbeat after Sunday’s race and a return to the podium, a strong performance for Johann Zarco on the Tech 3 satellite Yamaha in fifth, despite having no new parts from the Iwata firm, does add weight to the theory that the tyres could be what made the difference. So we could be waiting a while longer for a Yamaha win.