Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli's performance in the WorldSBK championship has been a source of frustration for everyone involved, according to Pata Yamaha boss Paul Denning. Locatelli, who finished fourth in the championship last year and was the only rider besides Nicolo Bulega and Toprak Razgatlioglu to win a race at Assen, has struggled to find his rhythm on the Yamaha R1. This was evident in the Phillip Island World Superbike test earlier this week, where Locatelli admitted to feeling uncomfortable on the bike. His performance on Friday in Australia was underwhelming, finishing 15th on the combined times, four places and 0.2 seconds behind his teammate Xavi Vierge, who is new to the team and bike this year. Denning expressed his concern, stating that Locatelli's performance has been 'a little bit frustrating for everybody - including the rider - on Loka's [Andrea Locatelli] side of the box'. He added that they have struggled to find a good feeling since Monday morning and that Locatelli hasn't yet found his rhythm in 2026 after a preseason testing campaign disrupted by bad weather. However, the contrasting performance of Vierge, who was in the top-10 in FP2 on his first proper day as a Yamaha rider, has provided some relief. Denning found Vierge's performance satisfying, stating that he likes the bike, likes the team, and is enjoying himself. This is only the second track Vierge has ever ridden the bike at, so it's a little early to expect him to be doing more than he's doing, according to Denning. The plan for Locatelli is to catch up to the level that Vierge is at and improve from where they are. This situation raises questions about the impact of confidence and rhythm on performance, and invites discussion on the role of weather and team dynamics in a rider's success.
