Alex Rins finds a new home with the switch to Yamaha – He praises the way the team works – But the bike also reminds him of the Suzuki
“I felt so good when I got on the bike on the first day,” says Alex Rins about the Yamaha. The Spaniard has spent three days testing the M1 so far. His impressions of the bike and the team are consistently positive
“The way Yamaha is working now feels very different from the Valencia test. Okay, that was only my first day. Now it feels different. I am very happy to have this feeling. It helps to test things and be fast.”
“I’m very happy with the work and how we’re approaching everything.” Rins has taken over the team from Franco Morbidelli. Australian Patrick Primmer is the crew chief. Following the withdrawal of Suzuki, the Yamaha is the only MotoGP bike with an in-line four-cylinder engine.
The Suzuki also shone with good handling. Can the two motorcycles be compared? “It’s quite similar to the Suzuki, in terms of the engine and chassis,” says Rins. “The braking stability feels better than with the Suzuki. The chassis allows that.”
The fact that he immediately found a good feeling with the Yamaha reminds Rins “of the old days” with Suzuki. He could be the first rider in the modern four-stroke era (since 2002) to win a race with a third brand. Maverick Vinales and Jack Miller could also achieve this.
“Of course, winning is the goal. We want to bring Yamaha back to the top. I have won with Suzuki and Honda. Now I have the chance, but I don’t think about that all the time. I will take it race by race. Then we will see what opportunities we have. “
Teammate Fabio Quartararo said after the shakedown tests in Sepang that the new engine has potential, but is still too aggressive. The electronics still need to be optimally tuned to the new engine characteristics.
Rins confirms that Yamaha is working a lot on the electronics. But: “The right word for the engine is not aggressive. This engine is faster than the one from Valencia. But I can’t say too much about it because I don’t have much experience with this bike.”
In the pits at the Sepang circuit, the Spaniard could be seen still limping a little: “When I get up, the first steps are still difficult. I don’t know if it’s because of the material I have in my leg. I still have to wait until all the screws can be removed.”
But Rins does not believe that the right leg, which he injured so badly in the Mugello sprint last year, will hinder him any longer: “My leg is already much better than it was in Valencia. I hardly have any pain when riding. I’m very happy with this progress because I’ve worked a lot on it over the winter. “
