Pre-season, Yamaha was forced to ditch its planned 2022 engine over reliability issues, meaning it had to race with a motor with a power output similar to the 2021 bike.
This, as well as problems with traction, led to a difficult campaign for all Yamaha riders – with Franco Morbidelli, Darryn Binder, Andrea Dovizioso – who retired after the San Marino Grand Prix – and Crutchlow, who replaced him at RNF for the last six races, scoring just 79 points in total. Only Fabio Quartararo mounted a significant challenge, with a haul of 248.
