M1

The main change to the familiar Monster Yamaha MotoGP livery unveiled by Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in Jakarta today was the addition of a new camouflage effect.

Monster Yamaha has become the first MotoGP team to unveil its 2023 colours with Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli taking the wraps off this year’s livery in Jakarta, Indonesia.

After finishing the MotoGP season in pain from a broken finger at Sepang, Fabio Quartararo then suffered a further fracture to the same left hand in a motocross training accident in mid-December.

Fabio Quartararo may have won the 2021 MotoGP title, but by the second half of that season he was pleading for more engine performance to counter the formidable Ducati challenge in 2022.

Franco Morbidelli’s struggles on this year's Yamaha MotoGP machine underline how the once famously smooth M1 has become too ‘aggressive’ in terms of riding style.

After splitting from Ducati and spending the start of 2021 on the sidelines, Andrea Dovizioso was convinced to take part in some MotoGP tests for Aprilia.

MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo remains crystal clear about the main area of improvement needed with the Yamaha M1.

The 2022 Monster Yamaha livery with which Fabio Quartararo will aim to defend his MotoGP crown.

Watch Monster Yamaha present the 2022 MotoGP livery for world champion Fabio Quartararo and team-mate Franco Morbidelli.

Andrea Dovizioso and Darryn Binder unveil the first RNF Yamaha MotoGP bikes, ahead of the 2022 season.

Watch live as the new WithU RNF Yamaha team unveils its 2022 MotoGP livery for riders Andrea Dovizioso and Darryn Binder.

After five races on Yamaha's 2019 machine, Andrea Dovizioso jumped to the 2022 prototype at the Jerez MotoGP test.

Reigning MotoGP champion Joan Mir believes Suzuki GSX-RR is 'more aggressive' than the Yamaha M1: 'They both have the Inline-4 engine, but the character is quite different.'

Franco Morbidelli, runner-up to Suzuki's Joan Mir in the 2020 MotoGP world championship, will again be the only Yamaha rider on the older 'A-Spec' machine this season. "That's a very strange one for me," new Factory Ducati signing Jack Miller said recently.

Yamaha has officially joined fellow manufacturers KTM, Ducati and Honda in committing to MotoGP for the next five-year contract cycle with Dorna, from 2022-2026. "Yamaha this year is celebrating its 60th year in grand prix competition," said Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis.

Valentino Rossi is adamant Yamaha can improve its MotoGP engine performance for 2021, despite the current freeze on most areas of engine design. To help limit costs in response to the Covid pandemic, MotoGP announced that the usual in-season ban on engine development would be extended.

2020 was a season of 'missed opportunities' for Yamaha, which won more than twice the number of races of any other manufacturer but still lost out on the MotoGP riders', constructors' and teams' titles.

After pinballing up and down the MotoGP results all year, Maverick Vinales is now in no doubt that "we made a mistake" when selecting the 2020 Factory-spec Yamaha: "Last year's bike was more competitive in all the tracks, not only a few."

When MotoGP champion Marc Marquez's title defence was ruined by a broken arm, the favourites to take over his crown on paper were Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Vinales. The pair have finished second and third in the standings to Marquez, respectively, for the past two seasons.

As rumoured, Yamaha gave its version of a MotoGP holeshot device a public debut at the Sepang Test.

After finding his feet during the opening flyaways, MotoGP rookie Fabio Quartararo has scorched to five front-row starts, two podiums and two fastest laps in just six events.