It's hard not to view the 2022 MotoGP™ World Championship as an opportunity missed for the Monster Energy Yamaha squad after they squandered a 91 point advantage in the second half of the season. From Fabio Quartararo to the Frenchman's team, and even to the Iwata factory's top engineers, there were errors scattered throughout the season that saw the blue brand finish behind Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati.
The main talking point throughout the year was Yamaha's obvious lack of power. It was much rumoured that Yamaha's 2022 engine-spec had serious reliability issues throughout the pre-season testing schedule, which ultimately forced them to opt for a one-year-old engine. That hampered Quartararo time and time again in 2022, but we also saw uncharacteristic errors from the 2021 World Champion himself. Most notably, the crash at the Dutch TT involving Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and then at Phillip Island when the title was still in the balance.
Add to that the tyre pressure miscalculation from Quartararo's team that lead to the 23-year-old failing to score a single point at the rain-affected Thai Grand Prix and you can understand why team boss Maio Meregalli has called for much more consistency in 2023.
"If you want to win in MotoGP," started Meregalli, speaking at Yamaha's Official Launch in Indonesia on Tuesday. "You have to have the right mindset. You have to be strong, positive, open-minded and ready for everything. Because in MotoGP, everything happens so quickly that you need to be ready to react. After such a long break, now we are refreshed and recharged. We’re looking forward to the new season. The spirit is fresh.
"Technically, we need to be faster. Strategically, I would like to say we must avoid mistakes. We must be ready to prepare as best as we can for the riders, avoiding mistakes and not taking anything for granted. Especially because we have 42 races, being consistent will be the key to winning the title."
New for 2023 is the introduction of Sprint Races, happening every Saturday afternoon at every Grand Prix event. The biggest change to the MotoGP™ schedule in living memory will, of course, lead to riders and teams rethinking their strategy and process. Meregalli believes the information gathered in Saturday's Sprint Race will be crucial to maximising their result on Sunday when more points are on offer.
"It’s a new format and we’ll need to get used to it. It will be more demanding for teams and also for riders. On Saturday evening after the sprint race, we’ll have to really look at the data to improve wherever we can for the main race on Sunday. It will definitely be challenging. It will be great for the fans, but it will be more stressful for me as a Team Manager."