The Yamaha V4 engine was the talk of the paddock during the Sepang test as the Iwata outfit suffered serious problems.
Yamaha He did not run on the second day of the test after Fabio Quatararo and Toprak Razgatlioglu has an engine problem. In Malaysia. The first one was the morning before he had trouble with the V4, falling and breaking a finger on his right hand.
On the third day, six Yamaha riders returned to the track, so the problem was not as severe as before. However, it is very worrying to bring up the matter at all, especially when the sources suggest Yamaha had problems with the V4 during their personal shakedown..
Jack Miller declined to answer questions. About V4 in Malaysia, highlighting the frustration with the situation. A journalist even told his teammate Pramak. Razgatlioglu was ‘calling’ the manager. More than ‘fake’.
The V4 isn’t up to scratch, putting Yamaha at a disadvantage. In fact, the Iwata factory He expected to start racing in 2026 and develop the bike throughout the year, but this competitive failure has many worried about the project.
Paolo Pavesio says there is ‘no chance’ Yamaha will return to “last year’s bikes” in 2026.
Yamaha employees think that decision-making in Japan is ‘too slow’ In the middle of their V4 woes. The team has struggled to provide a competitive machine for its riders since Quattararo won the championship in 2022.
Yamaha admit they are ’15 years behind’. With V4, adding the assumption that they can return four in line when they solve their issues.
However, talking Engine footprintYamaha boss Paolo Pavesio He completely denied this. Asked if he could say the V4 issue had been resolved, he said: “We ran a full third day without a problem, so I’d say yes, we’re still talking about prototypes being pushed to the limit.”
When asked if Yamaha has a ‘Plan B’, he said: “No. This is a project, it is young and ambitious, so there is no possibility of going back to last year’s bikes. It would not be reasonable to do this because it would not be strategically correct, and it would be a failure.
“The M1 has changed a lot between Valencia and Sepang, so in this new project there is the possibility of freedom of movement. There is no plan because there is no need for one.”
Read more: Everything you need to know about Yamaha from MotoGP team riders to the hierarchy
Can Yamaha bounce back and compete in 2026?
Pavesio says the problem with the V4 has been resolved, but Yamaha will have a big mountain to climb in 2026.
Alex Rins was the top Yamaha rider on day three. At Seppang, he came in over a second behind Alex Marquez. Pramak’s Miller and Razgatlioglu languished in P17 and P18 respectively.
Miller was fastest for Yamaha in race simulations.He is moving to P8, but he is 1.4 seconds behind the pace of Marquez. Obviously, the V4 is far from the competitive pack.
The Iwata factory produces the machine year-round and can send its riders to the front. But now Yamaha is the most active manufacturer.
