Yamaha boss: “I remember the times with Rossi - but you can’t always win"

Jarvis has presided over four premier class championships for Rossi, three for Jorge Lorenzo and, in 2021, a career-first title for Quartararo who then lost out on a second at the final round of the 2022 season.

Ducati are established as having MotoGP’s best machinery - they helped Francesco Bagnaia to come back from a 91-point disadvantage to dislodge Quartararo, but the experienced Yamaha team manager knows not to panic.

• Yamaha engine "fixed and decided" - crunch time for Quartararo?

Jarvis told Speedweek about remembering Rossi’s pomp: “Sometimes you think about it. As you get older, you look back, especially now that Valentino stepped down, and you think, ‘Ah, I remember the times with Valentino…’ 

“And then you go back to that time. For example, I remember that our team clothing was grey. It was an exciting moment when he got on our bike for the first time, they were exciting times. It changed everything.

“In fact, we've had a lot of highs and some deep valleys since then – and here we are, still in the game. We are quite optimistic. At the moment you can feel a sense of optimism. Everyone is hungry to get going again.”

Jarvis compared today’s Yamaha team to a generation ago: “It's very different from 2004 because we didn't win a single race in 2003, and then Valentino came. So we really started from scratch, it was all about the whole thing. To make it possible, we brought in the best rider in the world.

“Now it's a bit different. I would say the positive attitude and motivation comes from the fact that we saw a reaction. The reason for the position we got into last year was that some things didn't work. We weren't focused enough. I think last year we understood that we had to make a change to the way we work. A change when it comes to speed and stroke rate in development. We slipped back, we were too slow.”

Jarvis said about their 2022 season: “We ended up in second place and that's not a big blow for me. We have to put things in perspective. You can't win every year. 

“We now have five manufacturers in MotoGP, up from six last year, and that means five can't be successful – because only one wins. And you have to accept that, that's part of life. You can't always win.

“So I don't see second place as a negative result, but it was a tough season, it was difficult. It was, as the saying goes, a bitter pill. The fact that last year we didn't have what we needed and couldn't give the rider what he needed. Hopefully it will be better this year.”

Quartararo had complained last year about a lack of power, an issue that Yamaha strived to solve during the preseason Sepang tests.

They have chosen a new engine, after trialling two, in an effort to give Quartararo what he needs to fight the Ducati’s supremacy and bring the championship back to Yamaha.