Yamaha Eyes Resurfaced Aragon and New Parts to Bounce Back from Austria Setback

Yamaha is relying on new asphalt and upgraded components to improve its performance at the challenging Aragon MotoGP, following the team's difficult weekend in Austria.

During the 2024 MotoGP season in Austria, Monster Yamaha experienced its most challenging weekend yet, as both Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins were unable to earn any points in the Sprint or the Grand Prix races.

This marked the initial instance of the year where Yamaha failed to score any points, and only the second occasion this season where Honda emerged victorious over them.

Yamaha is optimistic that the improved traction from Aragon's new surface and the new components tested at Misano will enhance their competitiveness in Alcaniz this weekend.

Yamaha secured first and third place at the circuit in 2020, thanks to Petronas riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo.

However, the French rider finished eighth in Aragon during his championship-winning season in 2021 and then collided with Marc Marquez on the first lap of the latest 2022 race, causing him to crash out.

No Yamaha riders finished within the top 13 in that race.

Team director Massimo Meregalli acknowledged that while the Aragon track has an appealing design, it has posed significant challenges for them in recent years.

"The entire track has been repaved since our previous visit. We are optimistic that the new asphalt will offer excellent traction and enhance our performance."

Additionally, this weekend we will introduce new equipment that was evaluated and given the green light by the riders during our closed test session at Misano last week.

“We aim to make the most out of this Grand Prix by achieving the best results we can and gathering valuable data.”

Quartararo, who achieved his best Aragon MotoGP finish with a fifth place during his debut season in 2019, referred to the recent M1 updates as a 'slight enhancement'. He humorously added, 'If anyone has some grip to sell, let me know!'

"We were able to experiment with some new elements during the private test at Misano. During the test, we observed that the new components provided a slight enhancement," remarked the rider with the number 20, who humorously posted on social media following the Misano test: 'If anyone has some grip for sale, let me know!'"

"We'll get another opportunity to test these items this weekend, but this time under race conditions. Although Aragon typically presents a challenge for me, I'm interested to see if the new asphalt will make a difference," he commented.

Local Spanish rider Rins, who has previously won at Aragon in both the Moto3 and MotoGP categories, will be encountering the circuit for the first time on a Yamaha.

"Even though it rained a bit, we effectively utilized the private test at Misano. I was pleased with several of the new components, so we decided to bring them to Aragon. We're approaching this Grand Prix with an optimistic attitude," he stated.

"I have a fondness for the Aragon circuit – it's a place where I've had success before. With the recent resurfacing of the track, I'm optimistic that the increased grip will work to our advantage."

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