What Yamaha sees in Rins despite his injury turmoil

OPINION: On paper, Alex Rins’ maiden season with Yamaha has been a disaster, plagued by injury and struggling to get up to speed on an underperforming bike. Despite his results, the Japanese manufacturer handed the Spaniard a two-year contract to keep him until at least 2026, with the reasons to retain him found underneath his race results

The doubts generated by Alex Rins’ performances since his return from a badly broken leg at this year’s Mugello round contrast the confidence placed in him by Yamaha; which signed the Spaniard while out injured and has redoubled its bet by renewing him until 2026 despite still being troubled by injuries.

If we start with the premise that no MotoGP team wants to complicate life on purpose, especially a factory squad with multiple world titles, logic leads to thinking that there is a compelling reason to incorporate a rider who offers more questions than certainties. These doubts are not due to his talent, which has been amply proven in the eight years Rins has been in MotoGP, highlighted by his six wins and 18 podiums in the premier class.

The doubts come from the limitations that he may have on his riding and, by extension, on his results, a legacy of his serious accident at Mugello last year, when he shattered his left ankle and tibia in a crash during the sprint race. Rins has subsequently undergone multiple surgeries to repair the damage in a bid to return him to full health.

Accidents never come at a good time, but this could not have happened in a more unfavourable context for the Catalan, who earlier in 2023 won the Americas GP on a Honda that only Marc Marquez knew how to win on, when the market for riders was in full swing. It was surprising that Rins ended up at Yamaha, especially because when the contract was signed, there was no approximate reference of the physical level that the rider would be able to offer, who was sidelined for most of the remainder of 2023 and missed more races (13) than he raced (seven).

If his signing attracted attention and questions, the renewal a couple of months ago drew even more scrutiny, especially with Rins out injured again as a result of a new heavy fall at Assen. That tumble caused him a new fracture in his bad leg and to suffer two more fractures in his throttle-controlling right wrist, which took him out of action for the next two rounds in Germany and Great Britain.

Until that moment, Rins had accumulated only eight points in eight grand prix, and his best result was 13th at Portimao and Jerez, contrasting with the 39 points team-mate Fabio Quartararo had been able to scrape together in the same timeframe. Add to that his precarious physical condition, and the prospects of finding a breakthrough in MotoGP, there was little to write home about. Despite all the above indications and negative connotations, Yamaha opted to reaffirm its commitment to Rins for not one year, but two, until the end of 2026.

At this point, the question is asked: What does the Japanese manufacturer see in him? Although it may sound irreverent, even the rider himself considers the question pertinent if we look at his most recent numbers.

“The reflection is appropriate because I have not yet been able to demonstrate my full potential in a race. It would be very egocentric to throw flowers at myself, but surely the comments I make must be useful [to Yamaha], just like my method when it comes to evaluating specific parts of the bike,” Rins tells Motorsport.com when asked about the matter.

Rins has a strong supporter in Quartararo at Yamaha and given, on paper, he would be the first who wants to beat him as a team-mate, it adds weight to his point: “What does Yamaha see in Alex? Well, six wins, podiums and a third place in the 2020 world championship. In addition, he is a fast rider, one of the fastest, although in recent years he has not had too much luck because he has gone through major injuries.”

“Alex has a lot of experience, as well as a very high sensitivity and ability to develop the bike. Let’s not forget that he spent many years at Suzuki, where his contribution to the development of the bike saw it become world champion” Lucio Cecchinello

Davide Brivio has never hidden the fact he has a soft spot for Rins, as evidenced by the fact that he recruited him for Suzuki, with whom he made his MotoGP debut in 2017. “If Yamaha appreciates what he can offer, Alex can stay there for life. He is very good in his role as a developer,” explains the Trackhouse team manager.

Brivio knows what he’s talking about: in 2017, when Rins made his MotoGP debut, Suzuki relied on Andrea Iannone on the choice of engine configuration, and it turned out to be the wrong strategy; Suzuki failed to reach the podium all season. The fall was so sudden that Suzuki picked up concessions under the MotoGP rules.

Another of Rins’ former bosses is LCR chief Lucio Cecchinello, who backs up Quartararo and Brivio: “Alex has a lot of experience, as well as a very high sensitivity and ability to develop the bike. Let’s not forget that he spent many years at Suzuki, where his contribution to the development of the bike saw it become world champion in 2020. He is someone who offers everything, he is a very valuable asset. When he is back to 100% he will be of great help to Yamaha.”

That surprising triumph of Rins in Austin last year for LCR Honda, which remains the last win for the Japanese manufacturer, demonstrates that Honda is stuck in a rut with little direction for its own recovery. In fact, if Yamaha has someone to thank for having Rins in its ranks, it is Honda, which mistreated him despite having promised to give him official rider honours.

“Alex didn’t want to leave Honda, but he felt betrayed and that’s why he left,” a source close to Rins adds. HRC’s short-sightedness allowed its most direct competition to steal a rider it would later miss in the wake of Marc Marquez’s decision to leave for Gresini Ducati.

Motorsport.com understands that Yamaha pushed to add Rins into its fold in 2023 to replace Franco Morbidelli early, but that route ultimately wasn’t taken because the manufacturer had just broken contract with Maverick Vinales in a rather traumatic end, and did not want to repeat it three months later. But with Rins signed up until the end of 2026 at least, Yamaha says: “The desire to improve the M1 is a determining factor in understanding the renewal, as is the recovery of the satellite team for 2025.”

The company is currently shaking up its technical division, which began this year with the arrival of Max Bartolini as technical manager, and the implementation of new protocols aimed at accelerating the bike development, which is gradually showing positive signs.

Apart from various chassis and engine configurations, with a V4 engine set to be debuted at the post-season Valencia test, it appears momentum is building at Yamaha. So the opinion of a rider like Rins’ with his sensitivity and experience will probably justify Yamaha’s insistence on signing him injured, and then keeping faith in him. (formula fake)