MotoGP Mid-Season Review - Part 1 Yamaha With One Hand On The Trophy?

We're nine races into the 2015 MotoGP season, and something has become plainly obvious; Yamaha look in the best shape.

Valentino Rossi silenced all who questioned his age and ability to run at the front with young guns by coming out guns blazing in Qatar to seal a sensational victory by just over a tenth of a second from Andrea Dovizioso's Ducati. The Doctor then demonstrated his prowess for strategy in Argentina when he opted for the extra-hard rear tyre to claw back a five second deficit to the hard tyre shod Marc Marquez to clinch victory on the penultimate lap. Then he went toe-to-toe with Marquez in a straight fight in Assen, and won. Podiums in every other race now see him lead the world standings for the first time since 2010! And by quite a sizeable margin... in 2015 terms. The Italian heads into the summer break thirteen points clear of the rest and is in the best form of his career.

Jorge Lorenzo's season has fluctuated massively over the course of nine rounds. Helmet issues in Qatar lost him the win, whilst bronchitis knocked the Spaniard on his arse in Austin and Argentina. Then came the utter dominance; wins in Spain, France, Italy and Barcelona put him back into the fray. In one fell swoop Lorenzo had transformed a 29-point deficit into a one point lead. But Assen and Germany only yielded distant 3rd and 4th place finishes. It's not all doom and gloom for the Spaniard however, because those two tracks are bogey circuits for Lorenzo, and who's to say that he won't come back in August and win another four on the bounce?

Whilst Rossi has lived up to his credentials as 'The Doctor' with his ultra consistent form, and Lorenzo has been his typically unpredictable self, one thing has remained constant; both riders have yet to crash. Though skill has a part to play in that, that onus lays at the door of the 2015 YZR-M1. Yamaha really have built a brilliant bike. Not only is it now equipped with the fully seamless transmission that has in previous years allowed Honda to leap-frog them, it is sound chassis wise. The 2015 M1 gives the riders the braking stability, whilst still offering the cornering performance the Yamaha is famed for thanks to a new frame that makes the bike that little bit more agile. All of this means that both Rossi and Lorenzo are able to connect the circuit smoothly lap after lap, and are able to really push the bike because it gives them the confidence to do so. So though it lacks the horsepower of the GP15 or the RC213V, it doesn't really need it.

One thing that has split the pairing has been the 2015 Bridgestone tyres. We know Lorenzo is very sensitive to edge-grip; if it doesn't offer him the grip he requires he'll not be able to utilise his very tyre dependant cornering style. This is in contrast to his team-mate who looks for agility and stability as opposed to overall grip. We've seen this on a number of occasions this year; in Qatar Rossi opted for the harder front tyre, whilst going for the extra-hard rear in Argentina, whereas his main rivals opted for the medium and hard on those occasions. And this will be something to watch as the final nine races unfold. This championship will very much be won, in part, as a result of the tyres.

Something Yamaha have to be wary of is the situation between their two riders. Just now everything seems to be quite harmonious; Rossi was quite keen to partner up with Lorenzo for the Suzuka 8-Hour race had Yamaha allowed them – that would never have happened the first time the duo were team-mates. But, as we're beginning to see in the Rossi/Marquez relationship (see part 2), that can change very quickly. Marquez' does have a sizeable 65-point gap separating him from the Yamaha's, but if those two take each other off at some point then all of a sudden that gap gets cut dramatically.

Yamaha are fortunate in that they have two very competent buffers at their disposal should Honda mount a serious threat. Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro are two very highly talented riders, and both would relish the chance some upgrades would bring to beat the Repsol bikes and prove their worth for future factory consideration.

Yamaha's 2015 season will rely on three things: continual chassis development, adequate rider management and good use of their Satellite team. Achieve these and the Lesmo based team will be well on their way to riders title number seven.

But who will that honour ultimately go to? The safe bet is on Rossi. The Italian, as mentioned earlier, is in the form of his life; he's three wins up and has proved that he can beat Marc Marquez in a straight fight and match Lorenzo on pure race pace. His Achilles heel has been qualifying, but a dominant pole in Assen showed that he can do it. He has too shown that he can fight his way through the field, after all four of his last five wins have come from 8th on the grid.

Lorenzo can never be ruled out though. Yes, his form is inconsistent, but when he does get up and running he is damn near unstoppable. What will be key to his championship bid is his mental strength. Going from one race where you were dominant to the next where your team-mate bolts into the distance and leaves you looking like an upturned turtle must be disheartening, and after his woes of last year Lorenzo can allow the pressure to take over. It's pivotal that he does not allow this or his championship aspirations won't reach Aragon.

One thing is for certain, this is one fight that you will not want to take your eyes off of.

#motogp #yamaha #rossi #lorenzo