M1 needs big step
Yamahas fill the top three in Valencia but riders say improvements aren’t enough
Viñales and Rossi speak out after Valencia test
Maverick Viñales opened the winter testing season with a performance that served only to confirm the steps needed for Yamaha to be 2020 MotoGP title contenders. Despite fast times on an all-new YZR-M1 with the biggest engine upgrade in two years, the Spaniard still called for more power. Viñales led a trio of Yamahas at the top of the time sheets, ahead of Petronas SRT teammates Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli. However, using the ‘third development edition’ of Yamaha’s 2020 power-boosted, inline four motor he was still only 0.16s faster than Quartararo who was riding the B-spec M1 used this season. “A little bit more power arrived but it’s not enough, our competitors are still far away, there is a five mph difference,” he said. “I took the slipstream to check and the new engine felt better, it kept pulling, unlike last year.” Through the speedtrap, the
Honda RC213V topped 205.36mph with the new M1 only 200.57mph. Viñales was Yamaha’s only race winner in 2019 with two wins in the trademark M1 style of running classic, high speed lines.
But, along with factory teammate Valentino Rossi, Viñales also knows that managing to achieve fast solo laps in testing can be a false dawn – particularly as there are no Honda or Ducati V4s ‘parked up’ mid-mid-corner preparing to unleash their brute power in straight-line overtakes. Rossi, too, confirmed that there had been a step forward with the new motor but added that “the gap is still big” and called for further improvements.
“This third version is improved but we hope that Yamaha don’t give up because we need another step in this way for the Sepang test,” he said.
“In MotoGP it is a big package, but the engine is where we need to improve the most. Yamaha work in a good way.” Another factor in smoothing-out power delivery and assessing any chassis changes is improving late race tyre degradation, which is a recent Yamaha weakness.
“At the bottom this engine is very similar, which is very positive, because this year was really good, we had a lot of traction – but we still need more at the top,” added Viñales.
“The new chassis works well but still we have differences compared to the other chassis so I’m happy. “The package we had at the end of the season was one of the best I had at Yamaha so it will be difficult to be better but we are trying everything.”
Viñales is also eager for a final specification for the 2020 M1 to be settled at the important February tests in Sepang.
“We want to finish the Malaysian test with one clear bike and keep running with this bike and understanding the way to ride it,” he said.
“With more power the set-up has to change a little bit.”
‘More power arrived but it’s not enough’