FIRST LOOK: Monster Yamaha shows 2022 MotoGP colours for Quartararo, Morbidelli

This is the 2022 Monster Yamaha livery with which Fabio Quartararo will aim to become Yamaha's first back-to-back MotoGP champion since Valentino Rossi in 2008-2009.

Continuing the usual 'black-and-blue' colours seen since Monster replaced Movistar as title sponsor in 2019, the main change with the latest livery is that the bottom of the fairing (including the ENEOS branding) is no longer red, but black.

"We are highly aware that winning a championship one time is relatively easy compared to trying to win it two times in a row. So, the heat is on!" said team director Massimo Meregalli. "We are all starting from zero again, and we have a long season ahead of us with 21 GPs on the calendar. We can‘t afford to dwell too much on the past: we need to focus on the task ahead and move forward if we want to finish first again.

"Both Fabio and Franco are undisputed talents, and their riding suits our bike too. One of them will be looking to confirm his dominance in the MotoGP field, while the other is eager to showcase his full potential now that he is getting closer to a full recovery from his injury, so we are ready to fight."

Quartararo made history as France's first premier-class champion in his debut season at the factory team.

The 22-year-old punished the early-season inconsistency of his rivals with seven podiums in the opening ten rounds, including four wins, while crucially limiting the damage during arm pump issues at Jerez and leather problems in Catalunya.

When the wins dried up after Silverstone, round 12, Quartararo then managed his points lead to secure the title with two rounds to go.

Nonetheless, Quartararo finished the season repeatedly warning that Yamaha must deliver more engine and straight-line performance to counter Ducati in 2022. But no such upgrades appeared at the late 2021 tests, meaning Yamaha now has just five days of testing at Sepang (two days) and then Mandalika (three days) to deliver on their star rider's only real request.

"The winter break was quite long, but if I‘m honest I feel like I kept busy the whole time," Quartararo said. "There were many events for me to attend, and of course training continued as normal – so all in all it was quite busy, but in a good way. I‘m excited to begin the new season and start riding and improving. We got the title last year, and that‘s great. Nobody can ever take that away from me, but as of the first day of riding, none of that matters anymore.

"Last year‘s title win is behind us now, we must focus on this year‘s championship. Last year we barely did any pre-season testing due to the pandemic. This year I already have a year of experience with the Factory Team, so we know how to work well together. We know our strengths and where we can improve, so that will help during the tests in Sepang and Mandalika."

On the other side of the garage during the final five rounds of last year was Morbidelli, who was title runner-up to Joan Mir as Quartararo's Petronas Yamaha team-mate in 2020.

The Italian suffered on the 2019-spec bike at the start of 2021, managing just one podium before being forced to withdraw from the mid-summer rounds and undergo extensive knee surgery.

When he returned it was at Monster Yamaha, having been hired to replace Maverick Vinales after the Spaniard's dramatic mid-season exit.

However, Morbidelli's physical condition and lack of knowledge with the 2021-spec bike meant he could only contribute a best of tenth place to Yamaha's unsuccessful fight with Ducati for the teams' and constructors' title.

"Last year was all about showing mental strength whilst working on improving my physical strength," Morbidelli said. "It was not easy to come back after the surgery on my knee, but the work that I did last year will be beneficial for me at the start of this season. We already have some data to work with, and I‘m already familiar with the bike and the team. I have always had a good feeling on the Yamaha, but this M1 is so smooth.

"I can‘t wait to start riding the 2022 bike now that my knee is in a better condition. I‘m very interested to see how our progress will continue. I also look forward to seeing the whole team again at the tests. The atmosphere in the team was really nice last year, so let's see what steps we can make during winter testing."

The Sepang test starts tomorrow (Saturday), with the track open from 10am to 6pm each day, followed by practice starts.