Marco Bezzecchi
Yamaha are hoping that their brand-new V4 engine can be the saviour that lifts them back into MotoGP contention.
Fabio Quartararo has been an incredibly loyal servant to their operation over the last few seasons. He could easily have left them for a satellite rival and the opportunity to win now, but he invested time and effort into helping them get back to the top.
Yamaha’s response is the V4, which is now almost ready to take over from their old unit. While they have improved this year, there’s a long way to go before they can be satisfied with their work. At some MotoGP races, they have still struggled a lot, and that’s where the new engine should help.
In a bid to get them up to speed, Yamaha will love Jack Miller’s ‘forfeit’, as he has offered to sacrifice results for the rest of 2025 to gather extra information and get them a head start heading into the 2026 season.
Just a few days ago, Yamaha changed their mind about the V4 engine and decided to introduce it sooner after seeing Quartararo so deflated earlier in the campaign. It was a step they needed to take to raise spirits within the team.
READ MORE: Fabio Quartararo dropped a worrying hint about Yamaha’s resources in his Balaton Park outburst
How Fabio Quartararo’s rumoured lap times with Yamaha’s V4 engine compare to Barcelona qualifying
Quartararo’s ‘very useful’ comment about Miller might have helped to save the 30-year-old’s career, as Yamaha and Pramac mulled over their options. Now, it looks as though he will benefit from that opinion, as they prepare to introduce the V4.
After watching one of the greats, Quartararo was in awe of Marc Marquez when he saw what he could do on Ducati’s machine a few weeks ago at the Austrian Grand Prix. It’s all stuff that he will hope to implement himself when he gets a bike capable of competing.
Their plan of reaching the top revolves around the V4, which has just completed its first official test at Barcelona, following the Catalan Grand Prix, despite some weather interruptions.
According to GPOne, the Frenchman set a time of 1:39.3s, which was just 1.5 seconds slower than his time during qualifying last weekend (1:37.8). Even more promisingly, he did it while battling the rain. It’s doubtful that he would have been pushing hard, so the initial signs are good.
Why Yamaha have made sure their V4 project is ‘strictly confidential’
Quartararo has proven one ‘undeniable’ Yamaha truth, by showing that even with an elite rider, they are still nowhere at times. While they want the V4 to show results immediately, rushing it too quickly could have adverse effects, and is probably why it hadn’t hit the track before now.
The project has been kept ‘strictly confidential’ according to Mowmag, in a bid to cover up any advantage they might have found.
Even President Motofumi Shitara attended the circuit over the weekend, which resulted in Quartararo telling him that he was ‘too optimistic’.
For now, the signs are promising for Yamaha, and a full debut could come as soon as the upcoming San Marino Grand Prix, with Augusto Fernandez. It will be one to keep an eye on throughout the weekend.
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