Having worked in rallying and Formula 1, Massimo Bartolini spent some twenty years in the Ducati racing department. Recruited last year by Yamaha and appointed technical director of the MotoGP project, this Italian engineer is now working to coordinate the work between Europe and Japan for Yamaha Motor Racing.
Why did you decide, just over a year ago, to leave Ducati to join Yamaha?
For the challenge. And also to understand. While European manufacturers have now taken the lead and dominate the MotoGP championship, this has not always been the case. Quite the contrary. The Japanese had the advantage for, say, forty or fifty years. During those years, from the outside, from Europe, their domination was fascinating. There were many legends about the Japanese way of thinking and building motorbikes. Being able to understand all this from the inside intrigued me, I was curious to understand, and I found it very interesting to be able to discover another culture and another way of approaching the development of a racing motorbike. When I was offered the job, I felt that they also wanted to get the best out of both our cultures. They have strengths, and so do we. The idea was to bring them together to achieve better results.
At Ducati, you were responsible for performance. What exactly is your role at Yamaha?
I am technical director, but in fact my role is similar to the one I had before. In a company like Yamaha, which is spread across several parts of the world, the technical director is not what one imagines in a European company, where the role is that of someone who manages the day-to-day, who organises the departments, the working groups, etc. My job is a mixture of the performance-oriented side and the more technical side. I try to provide orientation. I travel to Japan regularly, but I can't be there all the time.
How is communication with Japan going?
When they talk about competition, the technicians always manage to understand each other, whatever language is spoken. We also do a lot of drawing. Of course, as I said, there are cultural differences that mean we don't always approach problems in the same way. The way of reacting, of approaching daily work, the level of precision... Yes, there are differences in our approach, but when we share the same objective, we end up understanding each other. Perhaps the most difficult thing with the Japanese is to make them change their minds when they are convinced of something. But honestly, I don't know if we are very different in this aspect.
What have you learnt from them?
Technically, there are areas where they are very strong, surprisingly strong. And others where I wouldn't say they are weak... But let's say less demanding. For example, they are very good at chassis and engines, especially in terms of engine use. Honestly, I wasn't expecting that. They have their own idea about how to build an engine, and they are very proud of it. It is something that has value, because I think that if we removed the electronics tomorrow, their motorbike would still work. I am not sure that would be the case for the others. On top of that, they completely underestimate the effect of aerodynamics. They see the impact, but they don't care. Today they are paying more attention to it, and it is starting to show. Then there is the electronics, which can and must be improved, especially in the way the unified software is managed.
How do you see the evolution of the M1 since you arrived at Yamaha, and what can we expect from it in the short term?
This bike has no real flaws, no clearly negative points. But we need to improve in various areas. That's why we're working on the chassis, aerodynamics, electronics, etc. We've also developed the structure that develops the bike, as some departments need to evolve to reach the level required by today's MotoGP. We have two projects in progress in view of the new technical regulations that will come into force in 2027. One is based on the current four-cylinder engine, the other on a V-engine. It's very interesting, but we have to be careful to avoid confusion.
