The arrival of Max Bartolini at Yamaha this year was🐓 seen as a key step for the manufacturer to finally progress again.

The slump of the MotoGP powerhouse over the past year is being addressed and the acquꦑisition of Bartolini as their new technical director was a major coup.

Bartolini left Ducati, where he 𝔉had been for 20 years, to take on an important job in fixing Yamaha’s woes.

Evolution or revolution

Bartolini answered whether the Yamah🥂a M1 requires a total overhaul or just a tweak to🌃 address its weaknesses.

"I'm trying to understand ho🐼w Yamaha works, to take advantage of the strong points that still exist, e🎃ven if it doesn't seem like it at the time,” he told .

“We're then trying to understand what can be donꦑe.

“It's cle꧒ar that, as long as the engine architecture remains different, the moto🌸rbike is radically different.

“And theref🔥ore many concepts that were used at Ducati are very di𓂃fficult to apply here.

“However, many others are common and can be transported - I am thinking of the aerodynamic balances or the way of work on th🔜e electronics, which can be updated and improved compared to how we are now.”

Bartolini added: “We have identified the a🐼reas where we can improve.

“A gap of 7-8 tenths tak🃏es time to recover and is spread across a𒆙ll areas.

“We are working on it, we are producing some material and we are trying to bring together m💧y experience, which is purely European, 🌸and that of Yamaha.

“The idea is to bring together the g🅰ood of both working methods, to try to close the gap in a reasonable time."

The trend in MotoGP is that the two Japanese goliaths, Yamaha and Honda, have fallen behind the three Eur🅠opean manufacturers - including Aprilia and KTM, who do not have the same illustrious history in the sport.

"More than being left behind, in s🃏ome fields they may have underestimated the impact of the new aspects that the Europeans have developed, in particular Ducati but also KTM and 𝓡Aprilia,” Bartolini said.

“But now this has bee💞n unde𒁃rstood and we are trying to invest to cover the gap.

“It's clear that if you start a year or a year and a half 🏅later to invest heavily in some areas, y🎃ou need some time to close the gap. It's quite normal."

The impact of aerodynamics

"Aerodynamics 𒉰add force to the bike, so it's about raising the limit of the bike,” 𓆉Bartolini explained.

“For riders, riding a bike with aerodynamics can be the same or even worse in term𓂃s of feeling.

“In my op🔯inion, the current MotoGP bikes and today's rid🐽ers are so much at the limit that the difference that efficient aerodynamics can add to you is such as to justify several tenths.

“Quantifying them exactly is not easy, but if you cannot have similar loads or similar aerodynamic effects it is difficult to cover that gap generated by the aerodynamics with other👍 areas. Today, aerodynamics are necessary."

2027 regulations

Yamaha are trying to improve their flailing bike 𓄧but know that, in 2027, the playing field could change because new regulations will come into effect.

Yamaha are balancing investment into today’s rules and investme🥀nt into the future.

"This is obviously taken into accꦯount,” Bartolini said.

“We are trying to bring development i𓃲n the direction of the new 2027 regulation, which in any case is quite aligned with the current 🍸one.

“We are trying to invest appropriately in things that will disappear such as lowering devices, but understand the real co💝ncept of aerodynamics and trying to optimise it.

“Understanding the concept on the engin♓e, understanding the co꧅ncept on the chassis are things that you can transport to 2027.

“The investment is made on technologies tha🐼t will in any case be used in three years' time.”

Yamaha satellite team?

Yamaha hope to add a satellite𝐆 team to the 2025 grid.

The addition of two more riders and bikes would give them valuable data and speed up the progression of the proje🎉ct.

Bartolini said: "With such a demanding championship, even if you🤪 have the concessions and🍸 can make the official riders run, the truth is that you manage to make them run very little.

“First of all they ♒are men and they have to recover, it is impossible to make them ride continuously. And then it's still difficult wi🦹th such limited time.

“It would be esꦫsential to have a satellite team, to try to carry out more things on more riders and also for the riders themselves, to have comparisons and better regulate their choices aꩵnd the areas where they can improve.”