Yamaha debuted their new V4-powered M1 model midway through last season and have been working on perfecting it for the 2026 MotoGP season ever since. However, Jack Miller’s data from Buriram’s test shows the fact that engineers have made little progress.
Slowest bike on the grid since we started last year’s campaign, Yamaha They fast-tracked their V4 project with the intention of delivering. Fabio Quatararo In competitive cycling to prevent the Frenchman from seeking greener pastures elsewhere.
Fast forward to the 2026 pre-season, and the Japanese builder is currently staring down the barrel of their worst-case scenario.
It is known that Quatararo has reached an agreement with Honda. The 2027 MotoGP season and Yamaha’s preparations for the future are filled with many issues with the new M1.
In the year In the 2021 World Championship in the driver’s market earlier action, MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson believes Quartararo will be the biggest disappointment. of the season.
Jack Miller’s race simulation data shows how little progress Yamaha has made in the past three months
In the latest episode Paddock Pass PodcastMotoGP journalist Neil Morrison identified. Jack Miller Data from race simulations at Buriram suggest that Yamaha has made no real progress over the winter break.
Miller and Yamaha flag-bearer Quartararo were second off the pace at the end of the two-day test in Thailand, which doesn’t seem so bad at first glance.
However, Morrison identified one big issue from the data, “When you look closely at the long runs, Jack Miller’s times were probably two, two and a half, sometimes three, seconds slower than the slower guys in their races and races.”
“So Yamaha will give you a hint that the 40-50 second gap is waiting for us, more or less when the race is over in the first lap. Augusto Fernandez When he showed those three wildcards at the end of last year, he was finishing with a V4.
“More than performance, it was just Fabio Quattararo’s body language; Alex RinAnd Toprak Razgatlioglu All weekend long, which means it’s a really tough situation.
It’s a worrying statistic for Yamaha fans. Fernandez’s latest wild card appearance came on the final lap of the 2025 season, where he finished second to last behind Somkyat Chantra, some 36 seconds off the leading pack.
Toprak Razgatlioglu chose the worst time to go to MotoGP with Yamaha
In a move that would have been difficult under normal circumstances, Torak Razgatlioglu’s transition to MotoGP has been made more difficult by Yamaha’s lack of competitiveness.
Razgatlioglu first tested the Yamaha MotoGP machine in 2022After securing his first world title for the Japanese constructor in World Superbikes.
A move to Grand Prix motorcycle racing at the time never materialized and the Turkish rider went on to claim two more championships in WSBK.
In the year He has become one of the most anticipated starters in recent years after being confirmed to join the premier class in 2026, but any expectations of him may have already gone down the drain given the current state of the M1.
