The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP squad has revealed their latest 2018 Yamaha M1 race machines.
The 2018 bike is based on the chassis used back in 2016 with brand new parts planned for the Sepang winter test.
Maverick Vinales also announced that he will continue racing with Yamaha until the end of 2020.
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team has officially launched their 2018 Yamaha M1 race machines to compete in the upcoming MotoGP season. Revealed with a brand new blue and white livery, the 2018 Yamaha M1 looks new with a chassis based on their 2016 machine like the ones used by Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger from the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 last season.
The Yamaha factory squad struggled to compete after the first third of the season where the races were pretty much between Ducati Team, Repsol Honda and the occasional appearance of Johann Zarco. This proves that their 2017 machine was ineffective in races especially their chassis.
Looking forward to the Sepang winter test this Sunday, Yamaha is looking to develop the M1 extensively based on their 2016 chassis. Based on research made in November, the team needs to put all their findings onto the machine in order to compete with the other teams in 2018 especially with Ducati where they revealed that their Ducati Desmosedici GP18 has more power output.
Yamaha also announced that their Spanish rider Maverick Vinales will continue to race with them until the end of 2020. This came to light as the 23 year old from Figueres, Spain signed a new two-year contract for 2019 and 2020. No news yet on Rossi’s future with Yamaha and MotoGP ahead of 2018 where his contract and many others will end.
Stay tuned to Bikes Republic as we bring you updates on the Sepang MotoGP winter test this coming Sunday until Tuesday.
Image source: MotoGP
