From Brno 2020 to Jerez 2021, Franco Morbidelli stood on the MotoGP podium six times in 16 races, including three victories on his way to title runner-up in the shortened 'Covid' season.
Although reluctant to directly compare Fabio Quartararo with the likes of Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis has no doubt that the Frenchman is an ‘extraordinary and exceptional’ MotoGP talent.
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.
Out of retirement for a gruelling end-of-season mix of six races plus private tests, Cal Crutchlow is relieved he won’t have to face next year’s biggest-ever MotoGP calendar.
A switch to Aprilia for the 2023 MotoGP season brought the curtain down on four years as a satellite Yamaha team for SRT/RNF. But the Yamaha association went much further back for team manager Wilco Zeelenberg.
Whatever the truth regarding the recent VR46 rumours, Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis has confirmed the factory is already looking for a new satellite MotoGP team.
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.
Fabio Quartararo may have been beaten to the 2022 MotoGP title by Francesco Bagnaia but Cal Crutchlow believes no other rider on the grid could have matched the Frenchman's performances on the M1 this year.