Yamaha faced an immediate setback when MotoGP testing took place at Sepang on Tuesday. Star rider Fabio Quatararo has been sidelined for the past two days after breaking his finger.
Quattararo is confident the injury won’t derail him as he had the chance to sample the 2026 bike at Shakedown last week. Yamaha’s full-time riders have a lower discount rating (D) and are given more testing opportunities.
The 2021 world champion was Yamaha’s leading rider on Tuesday, but his best time was still more than eight-tenths off. The benchmark set by Ducati’s Marc Marquez.
How will Fabio Quatararo’s injury affect his season?
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Pramac’s Jack Miller was next in 14th, with Alex Rins 16th and newcomer Torak Razgatlioglu down in 20th. Test riders Andrea Dovizioso and Augusto Fernandes, both seconds off the pace, backed up the order.
Yamaha’s 2026 bike won’t be finished until the final race, says Paolo Pavesio.
In an interview with Speed weekYamaha boss Paolo Pavesio He indicated that the performance of the bike was in line with the expectations.
Yamaha Finally admitting that the inline four is outdated, they are switching to a V4 engine this year. This brings them together with other manufacturers.
But Yamaha has only just started developing the V4, while its rivals have been celebrating it for years. That’s why the team has a long-term mindset.
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Indeed, 2026 will be a year of constant development, which will continue until Round 22 in Valencia this November.
“We’re 15 years behind in terms of V4 technology, and we’re using 2026 to learn,” Pavesio said. We are investing a lot of resources to lay the foundation for 2027, and I am already confident that next year we will be in a better place than we were in 2026.
“There is no end date – we are working towards a flexible goal, because the competition does not stop during the season either. We will not see the finished 2026 M1s until Valencia.”
‘Our lap times were not very good’ – Fabio Quattararo on the Yamaha V4 bike
It was reported last week Quatararo is joining Honda. For the 2027 season, although he has denied signing a contract since then.
Still, if he chooses to leave Yamaha, he may feel justified after the first round of 2026. At the end of Tuesday’s race, Quattararo’s verdict was very disappointing.
“I can’t say I’m sure,” he said. Speed week. “You can see how hard we are, our lap time was not very good, the only thing I can do is give it my best shot.
When asked if he was used to his own style with the new bike, he said: “Yes, absolutely, I immediately felt the need to change, but I think our V4 is not as refined as the others.”
We still have a lot of work ahead of us – in terms of entry, traction, electronics, handling and power. There are still many things that need to be fixed.
After the three-day Sepang test, there is another two-day race in Buriram, which will then host a round.
