Photo credits: Liga Olahraga
We are very close to know how the new Petronas Yamaha SRT team bikes will look like for the 2019 MotoGP season, as the new satellite Yamaha team, led by Razlan Razali, Sepang International Circuit CEO, prepares themselves for the team launch to be held next January 28 in Kuala Lumpur.
But before the unveil of the new team, which will have Franko Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo riding their Yamaha YZR-M1 bikes, Razlan Razali spoke to Crash.net about the possible signing of Spanish veteran rider Dani Pedrosa.
The Petronas Yamaha SRT team manager confirmed that “The Pedrosa talks were a reality. It was very, very close. He spoke to Yamaha, Yamaha assured him they would give him all the support he needs. I sat down with him, together with Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna CEO) and the same thing as well. But when a rider is not mentally sure about continuing to race, there’s not much we can do. But we were in serious discussions. When he decided to call it a day, he actually gave me a call and thanked me for the opportunity. He apologized for not responding quicker, but I can understand that it was a big decision for him and I respect his decision. He was very professional about it all”.
But there was also the interest in Jorge Lorenzo. The Spanish rider knew since the Italian GP that he would not stay with Ducati from 2019 onwards, and at that moment rumours surfaced on the MotoGP paddock about the possibility of a return to Yamaha, specifically to the new Petronas Yamaha SRT team.
Razlan Razali confirms that Jorge Lorenzo was one of the possibilities, but at the time, when he knew he wouldn’t stay at Ducati, the new satellite Yamaha team supported by Petronas was nothing more than just a concept, and there was nothing he could do to sign Lorenzo
“At that time having a MotoGP team was still just a concept. Nothing was set in stone, so we couldn’t even talk to anybody at that stage, but somehow paddock rumours started circulating and he thought we were setting the team up just for him. Which we weren’t. But of course, he surprised everyone and joined Honda anyway – which is fine because he would have been expensive for our budget anyway”.
And what about the YZR-M1 bikes the team will use next season? Will they get two factory spec YZR-M1’s?
According to Razali, the Petronas Yamaha SRT team would always get a factory spec M1 for Franco Morbidelli, that was the plan all along. But when Dani Pedrosa showed up, and with the support from Petronas, the team and Yamaha agreed he would also get a factory spec YZR-M1. That would mean the new team would run not one, but two bikes just like the bikes used by Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales at the new Monster Yamaha factory team.
Photo credits: Kramtank Rider
But since Pedrosa decided to accept the KTM offer and become a test rider, and the Petronas Yamaha SRT had to look for a young talent in Moto2, Fabio Quartararo, they will now run just one “A-Spec” YZR-M1, for Morbidelli, while the rookie Quartararo gets a “B-Spec” YZR-M1.
We remind you that Petronas Yamaha SRT, Malaysia’s first MotoGP team, will hold its official team launch in Kuala Lumpur on January 28.
Follow iMotorbike for all the latest updates on the 2019 MotoGP season and everything about the new Petronas Yamaha SRT team.