Published: 06 Aug 2024
Yamaha "Worse Than It Looks" - British GP Leaves Quartararo Disappointed
Yamaha’s struggles at Silverstone leave Fabio Quartararo disappointed. The M1 is “worse than it looks” and “had bigger problems than Honda”.
Yamaha factory rider Fabio Quartararo had another disappointing weekend at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. Although finishing eleventh in Sunday’s race meant the Frenchman was the best-placed rider on a Japanese motorbike, the gap to the top is still significant.
Quartararo was more than 24 seconds behind in Sunday’s Grand Prix. In the sprint, which he also finished in P11, the ex-champion was over 15 seconds behind. After the race weekend, the Frenchman seemed disillusioned.
“It feels worse than it looks. It was a bit better than on Saturday, but we are still missing quite a lot. We gave it our all and can be satisfied with our performance, even if it’s not enough.”
Silverstone hadn’t been a bad track for the Yamaha M1 in the past. However, historical comparisons are hardly meaningful anymore, as the balance of power in MotoGP has changed significantly over the past five years.
The fact is that Yamaha has not yet caught up with its European competitors. Even though there have been repeated positive signs in recent months, the big breakthrough is still a long way off.
“We struggled more than the Hondas this weekend. We had less grip than them,” said Quartararo. “I had no other choice, I had to push to the maximum.”
However, although being a long way off the top contenders in MotoGP, Yamaha is not on the wrong track. “We know exactly what our weaknesses are. We just have to work on them so that we can fight for better positions,” Quartararo clarifies.
