Hopes of Yamaha fade in Qatar.

Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, both Yamaha MotoGP riders, expressed their concerns about their ability to finish the Qatar Grand Prix. This is worrisome not only because both riders share the sentiment, but also because it seems impossible for Yamaha to salvage their performance in the race. Both Quartararo and Rins were not surprised to not make it to Q1, as pre-season tests revealed that Yamaha did not address the weaknesses of their M1 bike. Despite an improvement in top speed, the duo struggled in the sprint race, finishing in 12th and 17th places due to grid position and unexpected tire degradation issues. Quartararo’s final lap time was 1m54.3s, a second behind the leaders, while Rins’ was 1m55.6s. Quartararo admitted he did not expect a better position, as his pace during testing and the weekend was consistent. However, the drop in performance during the sprint race was concerning, especially because the same tire will be used in the main race. Yamaha is puzzled by what went wrong, as their race pace seemed good during testing. Quartararo emphasized that the drop they experienced during the sprint race was unprecedented and something they had never encountered before. Rins shared the same concerns, attributing the issue to the handling of the Yamaha M1 and the need to take care of the rear tire. He noticed that other teams were stronger in fast corners, while he struggled with direction changes, putting more pressure on the rear tire. Both riders are worried about tire degradation and its impact on the longer main race.