Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ have officially unveiled their team for the 2022 premier class campaign, as reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo gets set for a title defence, while teammate Franco Morbidelli is also hoping for a Championship charge this season.
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MotoGP™ 2022 TEAM LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
Last year, Quartararo was a new entry to the Yamaha Factory squad. The Frenchman demonstrated why he made the step-up in only his second race aboard the Factory Yamaha YZR-M1. He won the Doha GP and went on to secure nine more podiums, including four victories, to grab the 2021 MotoGP World Championship Title with both hands at his very first opportunity to seal the deal, at the Emilia Romagna GP. With also the 2021 BMW M Award to his name, ‘El Diablo’ is the man to beat heading into the 2022 season, and he is feeling ready for the challenge.
Morbidelli was supposed to have a third season with Yamaha’s satellite Team in 2021, but it was cut short due to a knee injury, a lengthy recovery process, and ultimately the Italian’s step up to the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. The number-21 rider returned to action debuting on the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 at the San Marino GP at his much-beloved home circuit. Though the final five races of the season were physically demanding for the, at the time, still recovering Italian, he made good progress on the Factory bike. This is bound to bear fruit in 2022 now that he is close to 100% fitness level again.
With the upcoming season shaping up nicely, currently projected to count 21 GP rounds, Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team rider Cal Crutchlow will be joining Quartararo and Morbidelli at the Official MotoGP Sepang Test, as Yamaha is putting all hands on deck to start their 2022 campaign off on the right foot.
Takahiro Sumi, General Manager Motorsports Development Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.: “First of all, I want to say ‘Thank you for your support’ to all Yamaha MotoGP fans around the world. In 2021, YMC’s Motorsports Development Division worked closely together with the riders and teams to put in Yamaha’s bid for the MotoGP World Title. It resulted in our first Premier Class Trophy since 2015, a great achievement! We dedicated the win to our loyal supporters. We are starting this new season with the mindset of a challenger and we want to make our fans proud of us again. We have an exciting rider line-up in Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in the Factory Team and the vastly experienced Andrea Dovizioso and new talent Darryn Binder in the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP team, so we are confident that this year our fans will again have a lot of exciting racing to look forward to.”
Lin Jarvis, Yamaha Motor Racing Srl Managing Director & Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Principal: “Last year’s title victory was the best way to give back something special to Monster Energy Company to express our thanks for their continuous support and faith in our team. This year, we are entering our tenth year with Monster Energy as our sponsor and our fourth season with them as our title sponsor. They are fully immersed in and dedicated to motorsports and our strong global alliance makes our brands instantly connected. The 2021 Title win with Monster Energy as title sponsor was the absolute highlight of our successful partnership so far.
“The same goes for our many other official team sponsors, partners, and suppliers. Their commitment and love for MotoGP makes it possible for us to keep competing at the top-tier of motorcycle racing for what will be the third MotoGP season during this ongoing global pandemic. Our goals this year are to challenge to win the Rider title again and to have both riders strong all year to try to win the Constructor and Team titles even if we know it will be tough in the face of very stiff competition from all the other factories. With Fabio and Franky steering our M1s supported by our top-class team and engineers in Japan & Europe we are excited to start testing to prepare for the 2022 MotoGP season.”
Massimo Meregalli, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director: “Let me start by saying that we are, of course, very happy to have won the 2021 World Championship with Fabio last year. But being the reigning World Champion comes with a bit of added pressure. We are highly aware that winning a championship one time is relatively easy compared to trying to win it two times in a row. So, the heat is on! We are all starting from zero again, and we have a long season ahead of us with 21 GPs on the calendar. We can’t afford to dwell too much on the past: we need to focus on the task ahead and move forward if we want to finish first again.
“The team’s morale is great, and the atmosphere has never been better. The new crew members that joined us last year have gelled incredibly well with the other staff. As Team Director I couldn’t ask for a better crew to start this next title quest with. We are also very lucky to have such a strong rider line-up. Both Fabio and Franco are undisputed talents, and their riding suits our bike too. One of them will be looking to confirm his dominance in the MotoGP field, while the other is eager to showcase his full potential now that he is getting closer to a full recovery from his injury, so we are ready to fight.”
Fabio Quartararo: “The winter break was quite long, but if I’m honest I feel like I kept busy the whole time. There were many events for me to attend, and of course training continued as normal – so all in all it was quite busy, but in a good way. I’m excited to begin the new season and start riding and improving. We got the title last year, and that’s great. Nobody can ever take that away from me, but as of the first day of riding, none of that matters anymore. Last year’s title win is behind us now, we must focus on this year’s championship. Last year we barely did any pre-season testing due to the pandemic. This year I already have a year of experience with the Factory Team, so we know how to work well together. We know our strengths and where we can improve, so that will help during the tests in Sepang and Mandalika.”
Franco Morbidelli: “Last year was all about showing mental strength whilst working on improving my physical strength. It was not easy to come back after the surgery on my knee, but the work that I did last year will be beneficial for me at the start of this season. We already have some data to work with, and I’m already familiar with the bike and the team. I have always had a good feeling on the Yamaha, but this M1 is so smooth. I can’t wait to start riding the 2022 bike now that my knee is in a better condition. I’m very interested to see how our progress will continue. I also look forward to seeing the whole team again at the tests. The atmosphere in the team was really nice last year, so let’s see what steps we can make during winter testing.”