Joined Mar 2016
2K Posts | 2K+
FNQ
Vinales has been complaining all year that he can't get the settings he wants. The M1 is a crap bike by GP standards. Hoping to see something more next year.
Vinales has been complaining all year that he can't get the settings he wants. The M1 is a crap bike by GP standards. Hoping to see something more next year.
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
No doubt Yamaha have screwed up. They don’t have Furusawa, or even Burgess any more, and there is limited testing time for the factory riders even if they are equipped to guide development.
I don’t have much gripe with how Rossi has comported himself since Argentina this year, and he is still obviously better than many, but as I said there comes a time for everyone, no matter how great, and I just can’t see the Yamaha even if improved being good enough for him to beat the top Honda and Ducati factory riders.
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Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
IMHO Rossi's actual level is a bit higher than all of these "barely top 5" races he has done recently. With that I'm not saying he could be winning races, let alone have a chance at a title, but he could be a podium contender a bit more often which would be good for him considering his age and the level of his competitors.
Now things are different when it comes to Vinales as he is in his very best moment age-wise and as much as he appears discontinuous both with his results and his statements, his speed when he has the bike how he wants it is ....... impressive.
When it comes to my personal likings none of the 3 parts involved (Rossi, Vinales and Yamaha) has me anywhere near a fan, but it's a bummer for the show to have them underperforming.
That is how I see him, obviously that is fantastic at age 39, but he doesn’t seem to have the pure joy of racing he had in 2013, and I think he needs a better bike, not just an equal bike to beat MM on an HRC bike or current level Dovi on a factory Ducati, and if it is not Dovi who I anticipate being at a similar level to this year in 2019 Ducati will get someone else good. I just don’t know what is in it for Valentino to be watching the back of MM’s bike sometimes from quite a distance after all those years of near transcendent greatness.
If they can’t give Vinales a consistently competitive bike he would be better off on a Suzuki as others have said, or even dare I say it on a Ducati.
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
I agree. The (bar) rumors here in Italy are that Ducati will do all they can to try grabbing Marquez after 2020 but IMHO Maverick could do well on a Duc, too.
Guess we'll see. A lot will depend on how the soon-to-be-teammates MM and JL will handle their cohabitation, as well as Dovi's intention after 2020. I have been told he could retire at the end of that season. In that case I'll need a new favorite guy but all good, Bezzecchi will possibly be in MotoGP by then
A great race from Mav, so glad to see him take the win (despite trying to throw it all away at the start as usual!).
His strategy was pretty much perfect, he didn't really have any more pace than the rest of the chasing pack, but pushing hard when he got to the front and opening up that 1 second cushion and then letting the pack trip themselves up a little whilst they jostled for position let him edge further away 10th by 10th - Great stuff!
And if we were in any doubt as to how good the GP18 is, we have a rider who couldn't keep a GP ride for next year jump on it and nearly best Dovi, despite losing two free practice sessions from tech failures and crashes (he blamed most of the crashes on the differences in gearbox between the GP17 and 18, just how different can they be..?)
Really happy for Tashboy, hopefully he'll get the nod for Sepang as well whilst Jorge heals up for Valencia.
I've not seen all the debriefs yet, but I did catch Rossi making some comments about his race tyre - He said that the feeling changed from the sighting lap to the warmup lap, like the trye had got harder...
Michellin trye consistency hasn't been mentioned/blamed in the last few races as far as I can remember, but they don't have a great track record over the last couple of seasons.
I still don't think that the Yamaha is as bad as all that. It's still fundamentally a corner speed/edge grip bike that doesn't currently have rubber that suits it - The one race where Michelin brought rubber of a different construction (lot's of durable edge grip), they are absolute weapons again.
Of course, the fact that Yamaha hasn't been able to change their bike to suit the available rubber is a pretty big, fat issue!
This probably boils down to the limited testing time as well - I think if we still had the old free practice and qualifying format, they would have found their way a lot sooner.
But we don't and everyone else is managing the situation, so they just need to work in a better way.
The racing is definitely more fun when we have more manufacturers being able to play at the pointy end for sure!
Macca
His strategy was pretty much perfect, he didn't really have any more pace than the rest of the chasing pack, but pushing hard when he got to the front and opening up that 1 second cushion and then letting the pack trip themselves up a little whilst they jostled for position let him edge further away 10th by 10th - Great stuff!
And if we were in any doubt as to how good the GP18 is, we have a rider who couldn't keep a GP ride for next year jump on it and nearly best Dovi, despite losing two free practice sessions from tech failures and crashes (he blamed most of the crashes on the differences in gearbox between the GP17 and 18, just how different can they be..?)
Really happy for Tashboy, hopefully he'll get the nod for Sepang as well whilst Jorge heals up for Valencia.
I've not seen all the debriefs yet, but I did catch Rossi making some comments about his race tyre - He said that the feeling changed from the sighting lap to the warmup lap, like the trye had got harder...
Michellin trye consistency hasn't been mentioned/blamed in the last few races as far as I can remember, but they don't have a great track record over the last couple of seasons.
I still don't think that the Yamaha is as bad as all that. It's still fundamentally a corner speed/edge grip bike that doesn't currently have rubber that suits it - The one race where Michelin brought rubber of a different construction (lot's of durable edge grip), they are absolute weapons again.
Of course, the fact that Yamaha hasn't been able to change their bike to suit the available rubber is a pretty big, fat issue!
This probably boils down to the limited testing time as well - I think if we still had the old free practice and qualifying format, they would have found their way a lot sooner.
But we don't and everyone else is managing the situation, so they just need to work in a better way.
The racing is definitely more fun when we have more manufacturers being able to play at the pointy end for sure!
Macca
Joined Mar 2016
2K Posts | 2K+
FNQ
Fantasy. Throw Valentino on this year's Ducati or Honda, the best bikes on the grid. He is still not winning the championship. Vale rides the bike to finish and is lucky to have crashers in front of him this year giving him his current position championship wise. Yes to finish first, you must first finish. He was a great rider. Was. Now he is holding a seat from young blood.
Joined Mar 2016
2K Posts | 2K+
FNQ
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
I have openly written that I don't think he could win races, let alone a title, even if he was on a "perfect" bike.
My point is just that IMHO he is a wee bit faster than his current bike allows him to be, and trust me, I'm the last person on earth that has interest in defending Rossi
I think that is pretty much what both I and Holypuck are saying.
Joined Mar 2015
2K Posts | 337+
Chertsey, Surrey, UK
Remember when he told Biaggi, he'd never win another race, its time someone told him the same.
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
Joined Feb 2007
11K Posts | 2K+
Tennessee
Every time Maverick does well Rossi says , it’s good he did well BUT. Then he goes to work strong arming Yamaha into following a path that makes HIM comfortable , instead of developing a bike that is more razor edge that s capable of winning races. Yamaha needs to just come out and tell Rossi that from this day forward we are going to be building bikes that have good drive and a little less front end feel that you seem to be lost without. Mav is the rider that is going to take them forward. Pernat came out and said it over the weekend, not that he is even close to always being right, but in this instance I beleive he is right when he said Rossi’s age is becoming the problem. The older you get the stronger that self preservation gene gets and in a world of micro second decisions that can lead to catastrophy, subconsciously thinking about is the difference between 5-7 and 1-3. Rossi’s m.o . this year is a 6-7 place rider who has benefitted greatly from faster riders crashing giving him 3-4 place finishes and a steady haul of points and subconsciously that is where the bike development has gone conservative. He is having a negative impact on Yamahas performance and until Yamaha address ‘s this problem they will continue to have a steady bike that doesn’t crash but is not fast enough to win against hungry young riders .
Throw Dovi on a Yamaha and he isn’t winning .....
Throw Marquez on the Yamaha and he will still win races, may win the championship, but he is going to have to work his ... off to do it.
Rossi was consistently finishing ahead of the other Yamahas until very recently. He is much better than the bike he is given. This is not up for debate.
Selective comprehension is a wonderful skill.
Maverick himself said in the post race interview that while this win is great, they still have a lot of work to do.
Crawl back into your cave. Reality isn’t bending around you today.
Joined Feb 2007
11K Posts | 2K+
Tennessee
As does Marquez and Dovi say the same. After winning the championship and 8 races Marc says the Honda must improve to match the Ducati.
Fully agree with both posts Pov. Rossi is finishing artificially high in the standings due to him not taking the risks the others do, and then benefiting when they have a fall as a result. A great strategy to keep the faithful beleiving he still is a contender, but no chance of ever getting him a championship again.
And any rider who doesnt say the bike needs further development/improvement after a race or quali should be selling scooters, cause they have no place in a prototype world championship.
And any rider who doesnt say the bike needs further development/improvement after a race or quali should be selling scooters, cause they have no place in a prototype world championship.
Hmmm, I think he'd be battling for the title on the GP18. It's a stunning bike, as Bautista showed.
