The improvements to Yamaha’s YZR-M1 have been spotted after Fabio Quartararo’s scintillating display at Le Mans.

The factory Yamaha rider claimed pole position at last weekend’s French MotoGP, a huge milestone for the project which has struggled for over two years.

Quartararo finished fourth in the sprint then briefly led a chaotic grand prix, before crashing out in wet conditions.

Nevertheless, the vast improvement of Yamaha’s MotoGP bike has not gone unnoticed.

A V4 engine is being carefully developed in the background, but Yamaha brought a new inline-four engine to Le Mans after testing it in Jerez. All four riders were equipped with the new engine.

New quirks to Yamaha MotoGP bike analysed

Michael Laverty analysed the M1 for TNT Sports, saying: “They improved torque, acceleration off the turn, and top speed.

“Usually, that combination makes the bike harder to ride. But all of the riders are happy. No negatives.

“It still has that sweet delivery that a Yamaha is synonymous for. It’s working.

“I spoke to Max Bartolini. He said they have worked to give it mechanical grip with the engine.

“They’ve also worked on the aero package a lot this year. It looks similar to 2024 but every area has been breathed upon.

“He said they are a little limited because of the width of the inline across the frame engine.

“They need to increase downforce but it’s a constant evolution.

“They have changed the frame a number of times already this year. It’s so thin. Maximum 10ml thickness, even around the swing and arm pivot, where usually you beef up for strength to avoid the twist on acceleration.

“They want this flex to allow the bike to turn at maximum lean angle when the suspension doesn’t do a lot.

“They have switched back to aluminium. They have tried and tested various carbon iterations of the swingarm. But old school works – it gives feel and performance.

“Interestingly, they have ditched the rear hugger. Without the hugger, it allows the wheel to go up into the rear tank, when the lowering device is deployed.

“Instead, they’ve got a cool-looking sensor. There are five infra-red sensors on this rear tyre to monitor the surface temperature.

“Stopping with this Michelin rear is still key. It’s something Yamaha are working to fix – they haven’t got it yet.

“Max was saying they’re constantly working to develop. But every time they change, they find an improvement in one area, but a negative in another.”

Quartararo, as with every rider, has individual quirks that enable him to go faster.

“A personal preference for Fabio – a tank pod,” Laverty spotted.

“It keeps his bum further back on the seat, in the braking area, which puts load into the tyre.

“His riding style? He’s quite long, in terms of his torso, and he has a flat back, so he naturally gets load on the rear tyre. That helps with stopping.”

There is a long way to go for Yamaha, but a major step forward in competitiveness has been taken.