The Japanese manufacturer was unsuccessful in its bid to defend its riders’ title with Fabio Quartararo in 2022, with the French rider scoring three wins and ultimately losing the championship to Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.
With Quartararo helping Yamaha to second in the manufacturers’ standings, the 2021 world champion was able to mask what was largely a difficult year for the brand.
Teammate Franco Morbidelli struggled to adapt to the factory M1 and managed a best result of seventh on his way to 19th in the standings on 42 points, with all Yamaha riders across the factory squad and RNF Racing scoring a combined 89 points relative to Quartararo’s 248.
Ahead of the winter shutdown, Yamaha had been testing a new engine in its bid to gain more power – though the version brought to the Valencia test last November was not met with praise by its riders.
With pre-season testing resuming in Malaysia on 10-12 February, Yamaha uncovered a largely unchanged livery featuring some new grey camouflage stripes for its M1 at an event in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday.
Quartararo, who has spent the winter recovering from a wrist fracture he suffered in a motocross accident, said: “My winter break didn’t fully go as planned because I injured my hand during motocross training.
“But I’ve kept working non-stop. I’ve done a lot of cardio to make sure I’m 100% fit for the 2023 season.
“My hand injury is fully recovered now too, so I feel ready to fight for the title again. We have the new camouflage livery, which is a nice change.
“I like the new look, and it’s good to switch it up a bit. But more importantly, I am looking forward to start riding again.
“I am very curious to test the 2023 YZR-M1 in Sepang. We will work hard this season, as we always do. We have learned a lot in 2022, and now I just want to fight for the title again.”
Morbidelli added: “We are making a fresh start today, with a new look. Everything has gone back to zero and anything is possible this season, so that is an exciting prospect.
“We’ve ended 2022 with an improved feeling. Now it’s important that we do a good job at the upcoming winter tests, so we will be ready to start the season in March with the first race in Portugal.
“There’s a new race format [with sprint races being introduced], which will take some getting used to for the riders and the teams, but I see it as a positive change because it’s something that the fans will enjoy.”
Quartararo signed a new two-year deal with Yamaha last season to remain with the squad until the end of 2024, while the second year of Morbidelli’s current deal has been honoured.
Yamaha will not have a satellite entry in 2023, after RNF joined forces with Aprilia when the former couldn’t agree to a multi-year deal with Razlan Razali’s outfit.
Last year FIM president Jorge Viegas said Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team would become Yamaha’s satellite team in 2024 – something VR46 denied, claiming it will see out its Ducati deal.
