Alex Rins explains why his next Yamaha steps can't come from copying Fabio Quartararo

“I need to do my own bike right now”

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing, 2024 Barcelona MotoGP test
Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing, 2024 Barcelona MotoGP test
© Gold and Goose

Alex Rins says he is happy with the progress he made o♑n the Yamaha MotoGP bike in 2024 but admits further st🌺eps can’t come from copying Fabio Quartararo’s set-up.

The six-time grand prix winner stepped from Honda to Yamaha for the 2024 season, marking his third different manufacturer in as many years having also raced with Suzu🦩ki in 2022.

An injury-hit season hindered Rins’ first year on the M1, but towards the end of tꦿhe campaign he began to make progress,🐭 with a best result of eighth coming at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Reflecting on his first season with Yamaha,🥃 Rins feels being paired with 2021 world champion Quartararo has been good for both riders.

He also feels like his advice about bike development has been heeded, but notes that his next steps on the M1 can’t come from copying Quartararo’s s🎃ettings becauseꦰ “I’m not fast” when he does.

“In the end, the good thing about having Fabio - for me, and I think it’s the same with him - is that we 🌌push each other,” he said.

“When I’m faster than him, he tries to give a littl💦e bit more to be faster than me.

“When he’s faster than me, I’m trying to give a little bit more to🎐 be faster🔯 than him.

“The real difference between him and me is the bike. We are two talented riders. He’s in Yamaha since 2019, so this ๊bike is for hiꦦm.

“I need to do my own bike right now. This year it was a little bit hard to do this because as Yamaha knows I was coming from another team and it takes m🍸ore times.

“But I’m happy because I gave my point of view and they were🌠 listening to me.

“It’s clea𓂃r that we cannot use the same set-up. When I try to use his set-up I’m not fast. We have two different riding styles.

“So, it just 🐼takes time for me and my team to understand.

“And when your bike is not at 100% compared to the other ones, this is even more difficult. So, I’m happy with my progression and I think Ya💟maha is too.”

While results may have been lacking🐼 in 2024 for Rins, he says the year was “always 🐼special”.

“Not easy, but always special because you look back, you look on the progression and how the season was, from the🎃 first race, for the first time I jumped on the 𒁃Yamaha,” he added.

“🎶And for ꦡsure it was a season with many ups and downs.

“If I need to say if I’m happy or not with my progressiꦚon, with my work that I did in Yamaha🧔, I’m quite happy because I was able to improve the bike.

“I was able to bring my experience, they heard me and we are ꧑🎃working together in a good way.

“The progression and the adapta𝐆tion on the bike was quite good, quite fa🌠st.

“Then in the middle of the season I was struggling because I was injurꦅed in Assen.

“And then this one takes away some confidence. It took me some races to stay 🔥on my full level. Bu🎶t I’m so happy for how I improved the bike.” 

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