Massimo Meregalli “We don’t yet have a solid foundation”

Did you expect to encounter so many difficulties at the start of the championship?

Yes and no. From the outset, we could have expected that the transition to a completely new project might bring difficulties. But on top of that, we’re currently facing an unexpected problem that’s holding back our performance. That said, we have absolutely no regrets about this decision. Given the future regulations, there was only one possible engine specification if we wanted to be competitive.

What is the problem you’re facing that you didn’t expect?

As you can imagine, I’m not in a position to go into details. What I can say today is that our main difficulties concern the engine, which lacks power, as well as certain technical issues that are slowing down development. Furthermore, the bike doesn’t handle like the old one. The old bike had something special in the corners, no doubt linked to the engine. Today, the riders regularly complain that the bike doesn’t handle as well as the others.

As team manager, isn’t it quite difficult to keep the riders motivated?

Overall, the atmosphere in the garage remains good, as everyone is aware that the project is entirely new and that we’re still discovering problems lap after lap. But as I said, the riders naturally want to perform to the best of their ability and their expectations aren’t always the same as ours. This sometimes creates a disconnect. We’ve identified positives and negatives compared to last year, but as we’re changing a lot of things to try and find solutions, we’re sometimes forced to take a step back. It’s not an ideal situation, but we’re staying focused on improving the bike.

The postponement of the Qatar Grand Prix must suit you…

Yes, clearly, it gives us a bit more time to work. The first races take place overseas, far from our base, and under those conditions, it’s difficult to make changes quickly. The calendar is very tight, so any opportunity to save time is precious.

Is the fusion of Japanese philosophy and the Italian approach really working as you’d like?

Yes, it works well. When I joined MotoGP, there were only three or four engineers in the engineering department in Italy, whereas today there are nearly thirty of us. Some decisions are made jointly, whilst others are handled either in Italy or in Japan. This organisation allows us to be more responsive than before. Of course, there’s always room for improvement, but collaboration is constantly getting better. Above all, I can see that it now works both ways, whereas before it was mainly Italy to Japan.

Thirty engineers in Italy, and how many in Japan?

I’d say around a hundred… But it’s difficult to put an exact figure as there are always people working in R&D on various projects.

In practical terms, how does it work between the two entities?

Everyone is working to a clearly defined schedule, and development in Italy is becoming increasingly important, which helps to speed up the processes.

Will there be any updates for the Spanish Grand Prix?

We should be trying out some new things on Monday, after the race, during the official test day. But if everything goes to plan, we could also enter Augusto Fernandez at Jerez with a wild card and thus test other solutions in the race.

What contribution is Andrea Dovizioso making at the moment?

Even though he doesn’t ride much, his feedback is always very detailed. Sometimes it feels as though he’s both a rider and an engineer, such is his ability to analyse problems and link his feelings on the bike to the data. He may no longer have the speed he once had, but for the current development work, he’s extremely valuable. His collaboration with Augusto is also very positive, as he passes on a great deal of knowledge. He’s a real teacher.

Do you work mainly on the engine or rather on the bike as a whole?

We work on the whole bike. Everything is new, perhaps even too new. It’s a different concept, whether in terms of stiffness, weight distribution or basic configuration. Up until Buriram, we were mainly focusing on comparing parts. It is only recently that we have started working properly on the set-up, and we don’t yet have a solid foundation.

Under these circumstances, isn’t it too complicated to also have to prepare the 2027 bike with the 850cc engine?

No, because what we’re learning right now will be useful for developing next season’s bike. The engine is already running on the test bench and the first track runs should take place in April in Japan.

Didn’t you ultimately wait too long to launch this V4 engine?

We’ve always believed that the inline-four could still perform and compete with the V4s. And that was indeed the case for a long time. But with the evolution of riding techniques and aerodynamics, the V4 has established itself as the better option. Right from the first tests, we noticed better braking behaviour and greater flexibility. With hindsight, we perhaps should have made this change sooner; in any case, it was clearly the right time.