Would Yamaha really be better off with Jorge Lorenzo as test rider? At least that’s what the Spaniard thinks – What the Japanese manufacturer says
The Japanese manufacturer can only dream of the times when Yamaha won title after title with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. The years of dominance have given way – as with Honda – to a battle for the back of the points. Only one podium finish has been celebrated so far.
Jorge Lorenzo, who became world champion with Yamaha in 2010, 2012 and 2015, has been observing the relegation of his former employer as a MotoGP expert for DAZN for some time now and has already made one or two pointed comments.
The Spaniard believes that Yamaha would not have strayed from the right path if they had trusted him longer as a test rider: “You’ll never know, but I think that with my help – as someone who knows the bike very well – they could have found the pieces of the puzzle for the evolution of the bike.”
We remember: after retiring as an active MotoGP rider, Lorenzo became a test rider for Yamaha. But then came the pandemic. At the end of 2020, his contract was not renewed.
Asked about Lorenzo’s comments, “Unfortunately, with Jorge we were just starting the project to bring the test team more to Europe because we always developed the bike in Japan with Japanese test riders.”
“So I think the system was not ready. It’s not perfect now, but when Jorge joined there was also Covid,” the Italian admits, noting, “For me, some things didn’t work well.”
With Cal Crutchlow joining Yamaha as a test rider in 2021, they are now “happy”, Meregalli insists. “Also, the test team is something we are really pushing to have more test days in Europe, to use wildcards, because we are always a bit reluctant,” admits the Yamaha team manager.
“But this year we have already decided to do a wildcard in Motegi and I hope there will be a second one. Because in that case we can also share some tasks. That will be important for us.” Especially because Yamaha no longer has a satellite team. The collaboration with RNF ended in 2022.