Written by Isha Reshmi Mohan, Edited by Rohan Brown
The Yamaha riders have been vocal about their desire to improve the bike's performance. Fabio Quartararo finished third in the first session, trailing Márquez and Morbidelli.
Unfortunately, Alex Rins had not been able to match his teammate’s pace during the practice sessions. He stated that while he felt comfortable with the bike, his position did not reflect it due to a yellow flag and a wide run at Turn 10-11 on his final lap of the session.
Rins also spoke about his struggles with the new rear soft tire he received in the afternoon, saying it lacked grip and traction.
After the session he reached out to Michelin, who had been working with Yamaha staff, to analyze and better understand the issue. To support the analysis, he also referenced the Prima Pramac Yamaha team.
Miller’s pleasant surprise
Friday's practice session began at 3PM local time but was briefly interrupted by a yellow flag 10 minutes in due to an unfortunate crash by Prima Pramac’s Jack Miller. He noted the difference in track conditions between testing and practice, highlighting its impact on the right side of the tire. He described it as a “pleasant surprise.”
Similar to Rins, Miller also pointed out the change in temperature compared to the test sessions held recently in Buriram and Sepang.
This temperature shift affected the way he stopped the bike, particularly the rear tires. The cooler conditions provided better support, which led him to apply more pressure to the front than usual.
Faster engines from last year
He began by stating that there has been a slight improvement with the front tires compared to the testing sessions, despite not making any changes to the bike.
Regarding potential changes, the French rider mentioned that it’s unlikely anything will be different, adding that the “bike is touching the ground everywhere.” The only possible adjustment could be in the electronics, but he believes it’s better to maintain consistency rather than constantly making minor changes, which could end up causing the bike to lose performance.
He also reflected on the change in the engines, noting that they were "super slow" last year but have seen a significant improvement this year.
Similar to what Rins mentioned, he feels much more at ease with four bikes on track to analyze. This makes it easier to focus on the race, compared to last year when his attention was divided between experimenting and adjusting to changes.
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