The recent Malaysian MotoGP served up a significant statistic for Yamaha, as Maverick Vinales’ dominant win marked its first brace of victories in one season since 2017.
After crashing out of the fight for the win in Australia, Vinales led from start to finish at Sepang in a dominant display, which harked back to the form he showed when he won three of the first five races in his debut Yamaha campaign two years ago.
Since then, Yamaha has struggled to mount a solid title charge, with engine and electronics deficiencies dropping the team behind Honda and Ducati, as well as Suzuki on the odd occasion too.
But the second half of 2019 has been a period of growth for Yamaha, as it pushed through more developments and started to see results after numerous key personnel changes.
On this week’s Tank Slappers Podcast, Motorsport.com’s Global MotoGP Editor Oriol Puigdemont and Autosport’s Motorcycle Racing Correspondent Lewis Duncan ask whether this is a true return to form or not, while also examining the reasons for Vinales’ resurgence.
Alex Marquez’s triumph in Moto2 is also discussed, while our presenters also look ahead to this weekend’s final round of the 2019 season at Valencia.
The Tank Slappers Podcast is Autosport and the Motorsport Network’s podcast for all things two-wheeled, and can be found on Apple Podcasts via iTunes, Google Podcasts and Spotify – just search for ‘Tank Slappers’.