The Monster Energy Yamaha riders missed out on a Qualifying Two spot at their home Grand Prix.
Yamaha had finally started finding their way back to the front in MotoGP. Across the last three Grand Prix weekends, Fabio Quartararo had qualified in the top twelve and finished inside the top seven. However, the opening day at the Japanese Grand Prix was a step backwards for the Japanese manufacturer.
The 2021 MotoGP World Champion, Fabio Quartararo, had a difficult day as he finished in 14th place. The Frenchman looked like he could challenge for a Q2 position, but lost out in the time attack.
"We struggled today," Quartararo admitted after the Practice sessions. "It seems that the track affects the performance of our bike. If the grip at the track is good, we are not so bad, but if the track has low grip, we are far from the pole position times. We are lacking rear grip, and this makes it difficult."
On the other side of the garage, Alex Rins is experiencing the same issues as his teammate. The Spaniard ended the day in 20th place and has never really got up to speed in 2024.
"It was so hard to manage the situation today," said Rins. "I was trying to give my 100%, but something is not working. Fabio and I are having similar problems. We lack traction and edge grip. This track's main characteristic is hard braking, but we are having more problems than we expected with the hard front. So, we need to check why."
Massimo Meregalli admitted that Yamaha expected their home Grand Prix to be a difficult weekend. However, the Monster Energy Yamaha Team Director still insists that the team will find a solution to their issues.
"Motegi is a particular track, and it doesn't play to our strengths," Meregalli revealed. "A lack of grip seems to be a big problem as well. It prohibits Fabio and Álex from pushing to the fullest as it affects braking, cornering, and lean angle. It's disappointing after having been inside the Practice top 10 in Misano and Mandalika, but somehow, knowing the characteristics of this circuit, we already expected that this GP would be difficult. That said, we will continue to search for improvements throughout this weekend. We will analyse the data carefully to find a solution that we can try tomorrow."
