Yamaha feeling bleak: “We had other hard times, even with Valentino Rossi”

Fabio Quartararo delivered the 2021 championship and was one round from becoming a back-to-back champion last year, but since then their fortunes have plummeted.

Quartararo is ninth in the MotoGP standings, teammate Franco Morbidelli is 11th, with just a single podium finish between them.

"We had other difficult times, like with Vale and Maverick Vinales,” team director Meregalli told Marca. 

“Now, our rivals, especially the European ones, have taken a really big leap. 

“It's strange to see three European factories at the top and two Japanese [manufacturers] have a hard time. 

“Surely, we have to take a step to change the method of work. We are working. 

“It is a cliché, but we must unite the method of the Japanese with the way of the Europeans. Because we already have a base in Italy, with European engineers. 

“We have to unite them to have an advantage. We are doing it. 

“I hope that the results will be seen shortly, although this does not mean shortly this year.”

Yamaha are synonymous with Rossi’s glory years - together, they combined to give the legendary rider four of his premier class championships.

But they apologised to their riders after a 25-race winless run between 2017 and 2018.

This season feels as bleak for Yamaha.

"For sure, it has been a completely different start to the season than we expected,” Meregalli said. 

“We did some good winter testing, where we were satisfied with all the work that had been done in Japan. 

“But we have learned, having no experience with aerodynamics, that It's not enough just to improve downforce and speed, you also need to know how to turn the bike, because with what happened this winter, we improved downforce, maximum speed, but then the bike doesn't turn.

“When we had to homologate the first aerodynamic package, we had to lose a bit of top speed and go back to 2021 to at least have the handling. 

“It was disappointing. We had other objectives.

“For me, it is not necessary to talk about crisis because, probably, we have redirected development in the wrong direction and we are paying for that little experience with aerodynamics. 

“The others started long before us and now we are paying for that delay. 

“We have to do the best we can with what we have until the next race, we have to be ready, with the team we have, to take advantage of the problems that others have, as happened in Austin. 

“When there is a chance, it is not always achieved because our drivers are always forced to push themselves to the limit and that makes you make mistakes.”

MotoGP lost Suzuki, and now their fellow Japanese manufacturers Yamaha and Honda are languishing below their European counterparts.

"No, at this moment, there is not the slightest sign that Yamaha decides to leave,” Meregalli insists. 

“We are already talking about the 2027 regulations and we have agreements with Dorna.”