Yamaha Motor Racing president Kouichi Tsuji has attempted to play down the factory’s decision to replace its MotoGP 𝓀project leader ahead of the 2019 season by insisting it was a matter of personnel “rotation.”

N💖ews app🌠eared last week stating Kouiji Tsuya, Yamaha’s project leader in 2017 and ’18, had been replaced by Takahiro Sumi, a factory engineer with a background in chassis design.

Considering Yamaha’s results last year fell well below the standards set by its rece💧nt history and riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales, it is believe♕d the change was performance-related.

Aside from overseeing just one win and ten podiums from last year’s 19-round season, Tsuya had the ignominy of f﷽ronting up 🍸to the media in Austria to offer a public apology to both of his riders after a disastrous qualifying session.

Speaking at the team launch for the Sepang Racing Team, Yamaha’s new satellite squad, Tsuji confirmed the change and said tꦿhe move was “normal … nothing special." It amounted to little more than staff “rotation” in his eyes.

“Theඣ new project leader is what we call the MotoGP group leader. His name is [Takahiro] Sumi. He was a chassis designer.

“Many times we have to have some rotation to think about improving♏ ♑the future. This was nothing special. It was just very normal,” said Tsuji.

Amon🌄g t✤he primary points on Sumi’s ‘To do’ list is the need to provide a more docile M1 engine, and upgrade the electronics package, a source of frustration for factory riders since 2017.

Tsuji also used a press conference𝓰 featuring key figures of the new SRT MotoGP project to state the importanc⛦e of having a competitive satellite team among Yamaha’s ranks.

“For sure, the satellite team is very important for developing the bike,” he said. “We can get more data from four riders. Not o🐠nly the technical co🤡ntrol, but each rider can have some growth together.”

On the differen💛ce between ri🦩der Franco Morbidelli and class rookie Fabio Quartararo’s 2019 machines, Tsuji gave little away.

“Fina🌸lly, they will give the chance to make a be෴tter result and this will be beneficial for them.

“We are always treating equal for the teams and the four riders, to have the sam🙈e𝐆 components as much as possible. That means that finally we ask from Yamaha [because] this can have a benefit.

“We ask from the satellite team some sort of difference. But here we have really similar b🍎ikes.”