Are Yamaha on the slippery slope in MotoGP like McLaren in F1 or will they recover over the next 2 or 3 seasons? It is strange how teams that seem unbeatable in Motorsports can drop out of the reckoning and in to midfield obscurity or worse. McLaren, Williams etc. in recent-ish F1 are classic examples of this, but others manage to recover. So will Yamaha be like Ducati and come back in a few seasons, or will someone like KTM* or Suzuki take their place and Yamaha become another Aprilia? My 2ยข worth is that there will be big changes in the Yamaha structure over the closed season. We know they are moving to having testing in Europe rather that Japan, but I suspect there will be a lot more changes than that. Whether or not it will work I don't know, but I do know only 2 teams being at the front end do not bode well for racing if one of them hits problems. *I don't think KTM will be there for at least another season, but they have competitive teams at so many other levels that I have no doubt they will get there.
For the Japanese where respectability and credibility are paramount, I think we'll see the off-season 'restructure' (as you point out) restore their rightful position as 2nd Japanese manufacturer - assuming Rossi and Vinales are given every opportunity to be heard.
I'm a rabid GP fan (got up at 0300 to watch Aragon today) and I am fairly sure, the Yamaha team will be better next year. A totally crap bike has been competitive this year only because Rossi has managed to etch out podiums by what seems to be sheer will. Vinales has shown flashes of brilliance on the "same" bike but nothing consistent. Ducati has made leaps and bounds with Lorenzo demanding wings on everything from his boots to his gas tank. Next season when aero is limited and regulated, I believe we will see a balance in the field. Yamaha can recover from their current slump. I believe we will see changes in the off season as Rossi chases one last title before he rides off into Yamaha team management in 2021. When Rossi fired Burgess, he said, "I can't change me, I can't change the bike, but I can change the people." even though Burgess was and is one of the best in the game. The change resulted in wins. Maybe it comes down to people at this point. 2019 will see changes, spec ECU, aero regulation, etc. The Honda, I believe, will benefit the most in 2019 and Ducati will suffer the most.
Did Rossi actually fire Jeremy Burgess?? I thought he retired?? I can't really remember what happened when they parted ways.
Yep, Rossi definitely fired him. Was a shame, but he had stated that Jeremy was 'behind the times' as far as technology and developments. Might have been right, because Yamaha came good again shortly after, but that could also be due to the 'rise and fall' of developments and progress.
