No points at the season opener in Qatar: Yamaha newcomer Alex Rins comes away completely empty-handed at the first MotoGP weekend for Yamaha
Yamaha experienced a disappointing weekend at the MotoGP season opener in Qatar. Former world champion Fabio Quartararo missed out on the top 10 in the Grand Prix in eleventh place, while Yamaha team-mate Alex Rins was even worse off in 16th place
Rins had to start his first two races for Yamaha from 20th on the grid, as the Spaniard only left Luca Marini (Honda) and Franco Morbidelli (Pramac-Ducati) behind him in qualifying. In both the sprint race and the main race, Rins struggled with the high tire consumption of his Yamaha and clearly lost ground towards the end of the race.
He finished the sprint on Saturday in P17. “I expected it to be a difficult race. But it was even more difficult than expected,” said Rins, surprised. “I couldn’t ride my own race pace. My start was pretty good and I was able to overtake some riders.”
But as the race progressed, the grip deteriorated significantly and Rins was passed. Things didn’t go much better in the Grand Prix. In 16th place, he was 24.1 seconds behind. “We struggled a lot in this race,” said the Yamaha newcomer.
“We did our best and I felt better and better. I was scratching at the top 12, right behind Fabian (Quartararo) and Joan (Mir). But after six laps I was no longer able to control the bike properly. The front tire was at the end on the right flank,” reported Rins.
In the final third of the race, Rins slipped out of the points. “I lost a lot of seconds because I could no longer ride through the right-hand corners at maximum lean angle,” said the 28-year-old Spaniard, who, in addition to the technical limitations, was also struggling with the after-effects of his serious crash last year. Rins was only able to move with a limp.
Nevertheless, the former Suzuki factory rider remains optimistic. “We learned a few things at this race for the future. I’m looking forward to the next race,” said Rins, looking ahead to the European opener in Portimao.
