Has Yamaha made genuine steps forward in solving last year's issues with the Factory-Spec M1? Qatar certainly provided a highly-promising start, not just because of a victory for each its factory riders Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo, but the manner in which they won. Last season, the textbook Yamaha victory involved taking the early race lead and, with V4s ahead to block their apex speed, pulling clear. But Qatar saw Vinales fight through from sixth place, while Quartararo dropped as low as low as ninth before carving to the top in race two - despite the ongoing top speed deficit, especially to the Ducatis. A weakness in battle aside, Yamaha's top priority for 2021 was to deliver...
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