Rossi and Lorenzo stop sharing data

Fiat Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, whose pit garages are already separated by a wall, will no longer directly share data during a grand prix weekend.

The change first came to light during a press release Q&A with Rossi's team manager Davide Brivio, released by Yamaha on Thursday to coincide with the official Fiat Yamaha team launch during the Sepang test.

"In 2010 we will have small changes [in terms of information sharing between Rossi and Lorenzo], compared to 2009," Brivio said.

"In consideration of the fact that the two riders are the main rivals for the championship, we have decided to respect this competition internally and to respect their own ways to race and to approach the competition, so during the weekend the two teams will be much more independent and the challenge will be closer.

"Not much information can be exchanged between the two teams.

"At YMC level, back at the office, the engineers can compare the data and the information, but the two teams inside the garage can work more independently from a technical point of view."

Later on Thursday evening, during a Yamaha press conference, Crash.net asked Fiat Yamaha team director Masahiko Nakajima - who oversees both sides of the factory Yamaha garage - about the change.

"Yes," Nakajima replied. "So each team [Rossi and Lorenzo] has their own data. You can't see the other team's data. Only Yamaha engineers can see all the data and then feed it back to both riders."

Rossi and Lorenzo, first and second in the 2009 world championship, then took to the stage and were asked about the increased secrecy - and who had suggested it.

"I think that Jorge - already in 2008 but especially last year - demonstrated great speed and also a good attitude to fix and set-up the bike," replied Rossi. "Now Jorge has two years in MotoGP so everybody in the team are agreed that it is possible to make his own way.

"Also Jorge wants to work more on the development of the bike, so I think it is right that everybody makes his job and makes his development and tries to do it alone. At the end it doesn't change a lot because all the comments made by me and Jorge are quite similar.

"So it is not a big change."

But Lorenzo's answer suggests he is not entirely happy with the situation:

"I don't have anything to comment on this."

All of which is in stark contrast to the 'open' relationship between Tech 3 riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies, whose press conference concluded Yamaha's MotoGP launch.

"If Ben's got any questions or queries then he can come and ask me anything he wants. I'm open to it," said Edwards. "This team thing, about always wanting to beat your team-mate, I've never thought that way. There are 15 other guys out there I want to beat more than my team-mate."

"I'm not afraid to ask," added Spies. "I asked him before I went out on track today. I asked him again around lunch. I said 'I have no clue what I'm doing in these two or three turns'. He said he hadn't really found out either, but he tried to give me the most advice he could.

"The way I look at it, you want to beat everybody, but when you have a team-mate and share information to try and make the bike better then the gap is always smaller to the people in front of you.

"By doing that you might cut out three or four guys that you otherwise wouldn't have been able to beat. Okay it might mean that your team-mate is up there with you as well, but that's no big deal.

"I think it's important to work together like that. If he ever asks me anything I'll be sure to answer it, I just don't know if he'll be asking me anything!"

Yamaha Motor Racing managing director Lin Jarvis was asked about the contrast between the two sets of M1 team-mates.

"It's always good to have a good rapour with your team-mate," he began. "I think the difference here [at Tech 3] is that firstly they are both Texans - not Italian and Spanish - so you don't have the national rivalry. You've got camaraderie maybe.

"Also I think they are at quite different stages of their career, with Ben just entering and Colin the rider who has been there, done it and is at the top of his game. That helps.

"I think this [Tech 3] will be the fun team this year and I'm looking forward to it."

"Can we quote him on that; 'the fun team'?" smiled Edwards.