Yamaha disaster, Miller: 'I'm ashamed.' Meregalli: 'It's not like it used to be...'

Yamaha endured another disastrous MotoGP weekend at the Red Bull Ring. The four Yamahas finished in four of the last five positions in the Austrian Grand Prix, with Fabio Quartararo the best-placed rider in 17th. An embarrassing situation that’s becoming hard to bear for those on track, especially for a straight talker like Jack Miller...

The Australian finished over a minute behind race winner Pedro Acosta. Tire degradation put his M1 in crisis. Consider that on lap two he set a 1:31.3, while on the final lap he clocked a 1:40.2. But there’s an even more devastating stat for Yamaha’s future Superbike rider: his last lap was slower than many of Maximo Quiles’ laps in the Moto3 race.

Jack Miller’s frustration was evident in his post-race comments at Spielberg. "I’m pretty embarrassed," the Pramac team rider admitted to Motorsport. "The bike was sliding in a straight line, there was nothing you could do. I’m ashamed of doing a 1:38, those times are Bagger Cup pace." Rider #43 is closing out his MotoGP adventure in truly lackluster fashion, 19th in the standings with just 28 points. Only one top-10 this season, with eighth place at the Hungarian GP. Things aren’t much better for champion Fabio Quartararo, 15th with 61 points.

It’s hard to psychologically endure such a status quo within Yamaha’s ranks. Equally difficult not to vent in front of the microphones, although Quartararo had to put the brakes on himself after the Aragon round. Team manager Massimo Meregalli admitted: "Of course, it’s not like it was at the beginning anymore. That’s normal." A statement that sums up the current situation pretty well for both sides, especially after a season in which the Frenchman has repeatedly voiced his anger about the team’s situation.

Because their story has changed radically. Quartararo joined Yamaha in 2019, quickly became one of MotoGP’s top riders, and in 2021 won the World Championship with the brand. That was the peak of their partnership, but from 2027 ‘El Diablo’ will switch manufacturers to join cousin-rivals Honda. "Fortunately, the atmosphere in the box among everyone, mechanics and engineers, is good," Meregalli emphasized. Different story for the riders: "Maybe the relationship with the riders in general has cooled a bit compared to before."

In particular, something changed after the MotorLand weekend, when Quartararo encountered an engine issue during the Sprint. At the end of the Grand Prix, the 27-year-old from Nice declared he no longer wanted to help the Iwata factory test new solutions, and that he had lost all motivation in the bike’s development. The reason was tied, among other things, to skipping the Pirelli tests...

At that point there was a face-to-face between Fabio and the Japanese brand’s top brass to clear the air and end their relationship on the best possible terms. "When riders are disappointed or frustrated, sometimes they say things they might not really mean, or maybe they do," the Italian manager concluded. "After the race we had a good conversation and he understood. We resolved the issue." But relations have cooled to say the least...

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