Johann Zarco has confirmed he will switch back to the 2016 Yamaha chassis he raced last year for the remainder of the MotoGP pre-season after encountering some issues with the '17 frame in Sepang.
The double Moto2 world champion tested the '17-specification M1 frame during the first two days of the Sepang test, and though he found the bike was consistent over a long run, he felt it simply wasn't quick enough while also lacking in grip.
The Frenchman reverted back to the '16 frame for the final day of running on Tuesday, and was able to set his fastest lap of the test while the grip that had deserted him on the previous days returned.
“So today I decided to use my bike from last year to have all the information and understand even more things about my feeling,” the Tech3 rider said at the end of the test.
“In the morning it was the perfect conditions to be really fast and a 1:59.5s is quite good, but not enough.
“At least I could have the grip I missed the day before. I feel that no with one more year of experience I still have things to learn.
“I will, at the moment, at the next tests keep working on the bike I was using last year and find a way to ride it as Lorenzo was riding it two years ago. I think doing what he was doing will help me be faster.”
Zarco remained tight-lipped on what engine he used in conjunction with the '16 frame, but heaped praise on Yamaha's new aerodynamic fairing and expects to use it for much of the year.
“It's (the fairing) is giving more stability and when you have this stable bike you can relax yourself even more,” he added.
“I will work with it for the year. It depends which track but I think at almost each track we can have good front contact and stability.
“When you're full leaning and you try to open the throttle, you feel that you are less scared to close the front.”
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