Yamaha’s Long Road to MotoGP Glory: New Tech Boss Max Bartolini Outlines Strategic Overhaul and the Role of New Riders

Yamaha's head of technology discusses the development strategy and the potential contributions of new riders.

"It's going to be a lengthy process since I believe there aren't any fundamental issues," he stated.

Max Bartolini, the new technical director at Yamaha, has cautioned that it might be 2026 before the M1 bike is once more competitive in MotoGP.

Bartolini, who once held the position of senior Vehicle Performance Engineer at Ducati, anticipates that Yamaha will catch up by 2025, thanks to the extra technical insights and feedback stemming from their new collaboration with Pramac.

However, there remains a significant amount of work to be completed.

Last season, Yamaha's ex-world champion Fabio Quartararo finished in tenth place overall. As he heads into this weekend's Misano round, he is currently 14th in the rankings. His new teammate, Alex Rins, who suffered an injury halfway through the season, is positioned at 20th.

In an interview with Dorna’s Jack Appleyard, Bartolini shared his thoughts on his initial half-year experience at Yamaha, describing it as unique and intriguing. He acknowledged the significant amount of work ahead but expressed his surprise at the team's strong determination to bridge the gap.

The Italian clarified that since there is no clear 'issue' or 'error' with the M1, the process takes more time.

“Truthfully, my observations after six months align closely with the impressions I had from the outside,” he stated.

In my opinion, this will be a lengthy task as there isn't a fundamental issue at hand; we just need to enhance the entire setup.

"Usually, this takes longer than identifying an issue or error."

"Being near is one thing, but becoming rivals is something else entirely!" he added.

"We aim to make progress in the upcoming season and return to being competitive by the 2026 season."

Yamaha now has only two motorcycles in the competition after RNF transitioned to Aprilia in 2023.

Next season, Pramac, the current team champions, will switch from using Desmosedicis to M1s.

Bartolini expressed that the upcoming satellite project holds great significance for him. He mentioned that it would simplify the process for riders to make comparisons and also aid technicians like himself in determining a clear direction. He believes it will be extremely beneficial.

Pramac has not yet made an official statement about its rider roster for the upcoming Yamaha chapter, but it seems highly likely that Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller will be the chosen riders.

The duo has competed for Honda, Ducati, KTM, and Aprilia in MotoGP, representing every manufacturer currently in the competition except for Yamaha. Additionally, each has secured several victories in the premier class.

While Bartolini didn't specifically mention Oliveira or Miller by name, he was asked about the significance of Pramac having "two seasoned riders who bring extensive experience from other MotoGP teams."

Bartolini responded by saying, "This will be crucial for me. Getting feedback and possibly comparisons will be very helpful, particularly in the early stages, to identify areas for improvement."

"And I believe they will be two intelligent riders who will need to adapt, as we certainly can't create the bike they envision right away. However, having two seasoned riders will definitely be beneficial."

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