Álex Rins decided to move to the Yamaha factory team for the 2024 MotoGP season, after just one year with LCR Honda. The task wasn’t easy, having not only to adapt, but also to face a YZR-M1 that was one of the least competitive bikes of the year.

Failing to score was a constant

The Spaniard, who suffered a serious leg injury in 2023, started the year physically fit, but the bike didn’t make his task any easier. In fact, he didn’t even manage to score regularly, with some inconsistency and even DNFs.

Before the summer break, he only managed to score points four times, with two 13th places being his best results. A fractured wrist at the Dutch GP prevented him from competing in Germany and Great Britain. Later, a cold kept him out of the Emilia Romagna GP.

But the final phase of the season brought some more encouraging moments for Rins. There seemed to be an improvement in qualifying, as well as in the race - particularly at the Malaysian GP, where he got his best result of the year, eighth.

When all was said and done, Rins was left with just 31 points from eight different rounds (in the other nine rounds he scored zero points, plus three absences). He finished 18th, with the same points as Takaaki Nakagami.

Strenght

Despite being in an unfavourable situation, throughout the year Álex Rins seems to have always kept his composure both on and off the track, and he doesn’t let frustration get to him.

Weakness

Although the Yamaha YZR-M1 is one of the least competitive bikes, it has achieved considerably better results in Fabio Quartararo’s hands. It’s true that Rins has a different way of riding and had to go through a process of adaptation. But could he also have been affected by his confidence levels after the serious injury he suffered in 2023?

The best moment

Eighth place in Sepang showed that Rins can also be competitive on the Yamaha - as long as the conditions and material are working well. He finished two places behind his team-mate, Fabio Quartararo, in one of the performances he had closest to the Frenchman in 2024.

The worst moment

The fractured wrist at the Dutch GP was the most complicated moment for Rins. It was a complicated injury that kept him out of two rounds and, more importantly, may have had an impact on his confidence levels in the middle of the season.