The Yamaha boss has offered a bඣrutally honest assessment ahead of the 2024 MotoGP season.

Concession ru⭕les were introduced to give the flailing Yamaha and Honda a boost in their pursuit of the dominant Ducatis.

But, with preseason now concluded and the season starting on 🦹March 8, 🍬Yamaha are admitting surprise at aspects of their own development.

Team director Massimo Merega💧lli said🌜 in Qatar: “Here, we could prove what we saw in Malaysia.

“A💜ll the improvements that we have done there, w🔜e basically saw here.

“With a slight improvement in top speed.

But the gap to our competitor is still important.

“Honestly, I hoped that we would be closer.

“Honestly, I 🐽did not expect that the competitors would make this big sꩲtep.”

A recurri♏n🗹g theme for Yamaha is their qualifying pace.

Fabio✨ Quartararo repeatedly faced problems even entering Q2 last season.

The prognosis is not good for his hopes ℱthat those struggles might ease.

“Unfortunately, no,” Meregalli admitted.

“The pace is not bad. For sure, not inꦿ the top three, but it’s not bඣad.

“Especially here, more than in Sepang, the gap during the time attacks is still important🌸.

“It’s the point where we should focus all of the energy that we h🌠ave.

“Many times, to start🍨 from the front gives you benefits.

“It is an area that we have to improve.”

Quartararo previously assessed his time attacks during preseason testing:&✃nbsp;“It was good to see the 1m 51s but we are๊ still far from the top.

“We have a lot of work to do.

“Hopꦐefully we can find a solution during the season. We are still far away but it was positive.”

There are some benefits tꦆo the 2024 Yamaha though.

The M1’s new engine pushed Quartararo to✃ third, and Alex Rins to fifth, in the top speed chart on Day 2 of Qatar testing.

“I think Yamaha has ﷽improved the eng▨ine,” Rins said.

“On the straight we were quite strong, so t🃏hey did a good job during the winter break.🦹”