Fabio Quartararo outlines the change at Yamaha which ‘must be done’ ahead of the 2026 MotoGP season

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Yamaha have a long way to go before they can consider themselves contenders for victories in MotoGP again.

The Japanese manufacturer appears to have lost even more ground to their MotoGP rivals over the winter and are now even slower than Honda.

Yamaha’s best result of the year came via Pramac’s Jack Miller at the Grand Prix of the Americas, as he mastered the changeable conditions to secure a fifth-place.

It was a race of reflection for Fabio Quartararo, who could only muster 10th on a day where a significant result was on the cards.

Miller has offered Yamaha something they’ve never had by using his experience from riding both Ducati and KTM bikes to improve their operation.

Quartararo thinks Yamaha have ‘many problems’ and is aware that the man with the biggest responsibility to fix them is himself.

READ MORE: Fabio Quartararo admits he was ‘overly aggressive’ with Yamaha during ‘difficult time’ in MotoGP career

Fabio Quartararo says Yamaha ‘must’ implement ‘big change’ to their MotoGP program

Quartararo expected ‘much better’ Yamaha development over the winter, and has slowly realised that they didn’t make the progress they had hoped.

Failing to finish higher than tenth in the opening three rounds represents his worst-ever start to a MotoGP season.

Speaking to Giovanni Zamagni, he believes that big changes had to be done to improve the trajectory of the team.

“It has weighed in the scale of my choice. We do not have to say no. It is true that one thing that has also been very important, [was] the project that has been done in Yamaha to take a satellite team that won in 2023, the 2024 team with the pilot and project of a V4,” he said.

“It’s not that there is no change, there is a very very big change in Yamaha and it must be done.”

READ MORE: Jack Miller thinks Yamaha are now doing something ‘ten times better’ than last year during the 2025 MotoGP season

How Honda have proven that Yamaha can turn around their MotoGP operation

Quartararo says Yamaha ‘can’t afford’ to sit still in their pursuit of further performance. New parts need to be introduced in private tests to see if they can contribute to any turnaround.

With a total of 28 points, the Japanese manufacturer is fifth, just behind Aprilia in the constructors’ standings.

They’re about to be bolstered by the return of reigning champion Jorge Martin and should start to pick up more points. It could leave Yamaha even further in the dust.

Impressively, Honda are second after being fifth last year. Their turnaround has been exactly what their Japanese rivals dreamed of. They have proven that it is possible.