The arrival of Max Baꦡrtolini at Yamaha this year was seen as a key step for the manu🌳facturer to finally progress again.

The slump of the MotoGP powerhouse over the past year is beiꦇng addressed and the acquisition of Bartolini as their new technical director was a major coup.

Bartolini left Ducati, where he had been ܫfor 2ꦓ0 years, to take on an important job in fixing Yamaha’s woes.

Evolution or revolution

Bartolini answered whether the Yamaha M1 requires a total overhaul or just aღ 🐽tweak to address its weaknesses.

"I'm trying to understand how Yamaha works, to take advantage of the strong points that still exist, even if it doesn't seem like itꦰ at the time,” he told .

“We're then tryin🌠g to understand what can be done.

“It's clear that, as lon🐠g as 🧜the engine architecture remains different, the motorbike is radically different.

“And therefore many concepts that ♏were used𒆙 at Ducati are very difficult to apply here.

“However, many others are common and can be transported - I am thinking of the aerodynamic balances or the way of work on the ele🐻ctꩵronics, which can be updated and improved compared to how we are now.”

Bartolini added: “We have identified the areas where we ཧcan iꦆmprove.

“A gap of 7-8 tenths takes time to recover and is♑ spread across all areas.

🐎“We are working on it, we are producing some material and we are trying to bring together m꧙y experience, which is purely European, and that of Yamaha.

“The idea 🌸is to bring together the good of both working methods, to try to close the gap in a reasonable time."

The trend in MotoGP is that the two Japanese goliaths, Yam🙈aha and Honda, have fallen behind the three European manufacturers - including Aprilia and KTM, who do not have the same illustrious history in t🔜he sport.

"More than being left behind, in some fields they may have underestimated the impact of the new aspects that the Europeans have developed, in particula🎃r Ducati𒐪 but also KTM and Aprilia,” Bartolini said.

“But now this has been understood and we are trying t𒆙o invest to cover the gap.

“It's clear that if you start a year or a year and a half later to invest heavily in 𒆙some areas, you need some time to close the gap. It's qu🍌ite normal."

The impact of aerodynamics

"ꦆAerodynamics add f𓆏orce to the bike, so it's about raising the limit of the bike,” Bartolini explained.

“For riders, riding a bike with aerodynamics 🙈can be the same or even worse 🐼in terms of feeling.

“In my opinion, the current MotoGP bikes and today's riders are so much at the limit that the difference that efficient aerodynamics can add to ꦛyou is such as to justify several tenths.

“Quantifying them exactly is not easy, but if you cannot have similar loads or similar aerodynamic effects it is difficult to cover that gapꩲ generated by the aerodynamics with other areas. Today, aerodynamics are necessary."

2027 regulations

Yamaha are trying to i♚mprove their flailing bike but know that, in 2027, the ꧃playing field could change because new regulations will come into effect.

Yamaha are balancing investment 🦄into today’s rules and investment into the future.

"This is obviously taken into ꦰaccount,” B🦩artolini said.

“We are trying to bring development in the directio𓆉n of the new 2027 regulation, which in any ca🐈se is quite aligned with the current one.

“We are trying to invest appropriately in things that will di🎐sappear such as lowering devices, but understand the real concept of aerodynamics and trying to optimise it.

“Underst🧸anding the concept on the engine, understanding the concept on the chassis are 𒁃things that you can transport to 2027.

“The investment is made on technologies tha🌃t will in any case be used in three years'ꦺ time.”

Yamaha satellite team?

Yamaha hope to add a satellite team to the 2🐟025 grid.

The addition of two more riders and bikes would give them valuable data and speed u𝔉p the progression of the project.

Bartolini said: "With such a demanding championship, even if you have the concessions and can make the official riders run, the truth is that you manage to make them run very littl💮e.

“First of all they are men and they have to recover, it is impossible to make them rideꦑ continu🍒ously. And then it's still difficult with such limited time.

“It wo🅠uld be essential to have a satellite team, to try to carry out more things on more riders and also for 🔯the riders themselves, to have comparisons and better regulate their choices and the areas where they can improve.”