Yamaha Faces Grip Challenges at Japanese MotoGP: Quartararo and Rins Struggle in Practice

Yamaha expresses frustration over an issue, labeling it a "major concern"

"Fabio and I are facing the same challenges"

Yamaha's recent improvement in performance disappeared during Friday's practice session for the Japanese MotoGP.

In the recent sessions at Misano and Mandalika, Yamaha's competitors managed to secure positions within the top 10 during practice, marking a significant improvement following extended spells of not performing to their usual standards.

On Friday at Motegi, Fabio Quartararo finished in 14th place, while his teammate Alex Rins was positioned 20th.

"Managing the situation today proved to be quite challenging," Rins remarked.

"I aimed to put in my full effort, yet something seems to be going wrong."

"Fabio and I are encountering the same issues. We're struggling with grip and stability."

"The primary feature of this circuit is its intense braking zones. However, we're encountering more issues than anticipated with the front end's rigidity. Therefore, we must investigate the cause."

Quartararo noted, "We faced challenges today. It appears that the track conditions are impacting our bike's performance."

"When the traction on the circuit is favorable, our performance isn't too shabby. However, when the circuit's traction is poor, our times are significantly slower than those at the front. The issue mainly lies with insufficient grip at the back, which complicates matters."

Team leader Massimo Meregalli commented, "Motegi is a unique circuit, and it doesn't align with our advantages.

Insufficient traction is also a significant issue, preventing Fabio and Alex from maximizing their performance due to its impact on braking, maneuvering through corners, and achieving optimal lean angles.

"It's a letdown, especially after ranking within the top 10 in practice sessions at both Misano and Mandalika. However, given the nature of this particular track, we had anticipated this Grand Prix to present challenges."

"Having said that, our efforts to enhance the situation will persist over the weekend. We plan to meticulously examine the data to identify a potential solution we can implement tomorrow."

This weekend, Remy Gardner will serve as an additional rider for Yamaha, bringing their total to three motorcycles in the race.

After Friday's practice session, he found himself at the rear in 23rd position, due to his emphasis on evaluating prototype components.

Gardner remarked, "The day was challenging. The poor weather conditions during FP1 certainly didn't make things any easier."

"This afternoon offered us some consistent conditions, at least. That missed opportunity during FP1 would have been perfect for familiarizing myself with the motorcycle and the tires once more, and for accelerating my pace."

"Overall, the day turned out fairly well. The key point is that we're testing out new features and gathering valuable information that Yamaha can apply towards developing the 2025 motorcycle model."

Kazutoshi Seki, who leads the testing team, commented, "Despite some unfortunate weather conditions this morning, we moved forward with our scheduled tests and managed to have a productive beginning to our plan, particularly in the later part of the day.

"This weekend, Remy's dual YZR-M1s are equipped with a range of prototype components for 2025, with the goal being a comprehensive assessment of each item. In tomorrow's sessions, we plan to gather more data to aid in the ongoing improvement of the motorcycle."

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