Alex Rins pinpointed the Yamaha improvement he felt most comfortable with after completing the Buriram MotoGP test.
The Spaniard finished down in 17th in the combined classification test timesheets from the two days but felt much more comfortable aboard the M1 Yamaha.
He finished half a second behind his teammate Fabio Quartararo but slightly over a second adrift from Marc Marquez, who led both sessions.
Rins stated that the latest upgrades made to the Japanese marque have improved its performance under braking.
“These days in Sepang and Buriram went in a good way,” he said to Crash.net. “We tested many, many items. Most of them we are using right now so I can say that I improved my base bike.
“I’m able to ride more comfortably and make less mistakes than last year. So I’m happy. I feel quite ready to start the season.”
“For me, the biggest improvement on the bike is in the braking area. I feel more comfortable. I can stop the bike in a better way. Still, as I said, in time attack mode it’s a little bit difficult to put the bike in [to the corners].
“But in respect to last year when I was really struggling in the straight braking area, with rear lift, we improved this.
“In terms of acceleration, by improving the braking area, I’m able to stop better the bike. So then I’m on a better line and I can pick up the bike better [on the exit].”
Rins shared an M1 flaw from Thai MotoGP test
Despite these notable improvements, he reflected that he was unable to extract the maximum out of the bike during the time attacks.
“For sure we need to keep working on the fast lap. Still I’m a little bit far in this sense. I couldn’t go below the ‘30s. So let’s see if in GP weekend we can find something because in terms of pace, we are on a good way.”
While the 29-year-old feels more comfortable under braking, the M1 still isn’t quite on par with the speed of its rivals.
“Still it’s difficult to overtake people on the straight, on the slipstream,” he disclosed.
Yamaha can develop its engine due to its position in the concessions rankings, with the Japanese brand looking at the possibility of developing a V4 engine.
Ducati, Aprilia, and KTM are required to freeze their engine construction ahead of the new 2027 regulations.
READ MORE – Fabio Quartararo admits cause of ‘really strange’ Buriram MotoGP test
