Yamaha

Yamaha seem to have made a step forward here this weekend thanks to a new engine 

But on Fabio Quartararo's side there's also a further step with them finding a different riding position for him in recent tests 

Let's start with Fabio's seat foam modification that he says has helped with his riding of the bike. What the team have done is added a large pad at the back of the seat and made the seat wider too. What it's done is forced Quartararo forwards, perhaps taking some strain off his arms and allowing him to lever the bike from side to side slightly easier. But also, that extra width might just have allowed Quartararo to adjust his riding position in the corners too, with one big thing this being commented of just how Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin are hanging so far off the bike in the middle of the corner to really use their body position and weight to aid turning

Here's a quick comparison of how his seat foam was before the change. Much less at the back and a lot slimmer

This is the setup Alex Rins has used since he got on the Yamaha. He's always had more of a seat pad that Fabio, but now they're quite similar

Both riders only have one of Yamaha's updated engine. It's easy to know which bike the new engine is in because it's in the bike that is fitted not with this longer exhaust but with the shorter one

Here is that short exhaust, the same exhaust that Yamaha have used for the majority of the past three or four seasons. Both Rins and Quartararo have commented that the new engine is better in almost all areas of the circuit, with it giving some of the former famed Yamaha M1 agility back as well allowing the bike to turn better

Yamaha are still using the full aero update as well, with them still appearing to be happy with how that's working. Between the updated aero, which the riders said was worth around two tenths per lap at Mugello compared to their previous aero, and now with the new and improved engine, Yamaha have made some serious steps forward in recent weeks.