Yamaha MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins struggled with arm pump issues at the Italian Grand Prix as a result of what they termed a “super heavy” M1.
Yamaha has made a number of changes to the M1 bike this season in a bid to make the bike more competitive and Quartararo has commended the manufacturer’s efforts in delivering new parts for the bike throughout 2024 MotoGP. However, he believes the new components add more weight which compromises cornering.
The Frenchman has occasionally suffered from arm pump over his premier-class career and is particularly remembered for dropping from first to 13th during the 2021 Spanish MotoGP.
Quartararo had previously voiced arm pump concerns at Jerez last month, but things took a turn to the worst last weekend at Mugello as he struggled turning the bike, resulting to a drop from 15th on the grid to a pointless 18th position.
The 25-year-old explained his lackluster performance on a track where he had delivered a positive impression during Friday practice.
“Especially from mid-race I had an issue so I could not really ride,” the 2021 champion said as quoted by Motorsport.com. “We have to improve this area because it’s not arm pump.
“It’s just that my arm is clearly on the limit in this kind of tracks, so we have to find a solution. The grip that we are missing and the engine that is pushing us wide is making the bike super, super heavy.
“The number one priority right now for us is to find back the feeling we had in the past, especially on the change of direction.”
Quartararo dismisses the possibility that his own fitness contributed to the arm problem that bothered him in Jerez and Mugello and believes that Yamaha should bear the responsibility for fixing M1’s issues. He has already undergone two arm pump surgeries: the first happened during his rookie campaign in 2019; the second happened in 2021 after the Spanish MotoGP.
“It’s difficult,” he admitted. “After Jerez I have the same problem.
“I already twice had the operation. Everything looks fine. But the problem comes, basically I have no space [in my arm to manoeuvre].
“My muscle after the mid-race was clearly on the limit, so I don’t know what to do right now. I think I’m training in the best way as I’ve ever trained.”
However, Quartararo does not think there is a major problem given the extreme physical demands that come from current MotoGP machines.
“No, because last year we had no problems,” he added. “I think the way we did our bike this year something has been wrong because even if you are making steps forward, from the beginning of the year we feel that the bike is super heavy and we have to adjust it.
“So we have to find what is the main thing that is making this bike [tough to ride].”
Rins was also affected by the same problem as he finished in 15th place, which meant that he only received the final point available despite qualifying in tenth.
The 28-year-old highlighted how physically demanding the Japanese bike is to ride by revealing that he started feeling lightheaded after the race.
“I was struggling all the race,” he admitted. “I just lose two positions on the start. And then lap by lap I tried to be there, I tried to manage the bike, I tried to manage my physical condition because right now our bike is quite hard, it’s quite critical.
“I’m also destroyed. When I got back to the garage they had to help me because I was little dizzy. With the bike right now, with the problems that we have, everything gets harder and it’s very physical.”
