Augusto Fernandez shares Yamaha’s ‘only positive’ after riding their V4 bike at Malaysian Grand Prix

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Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez penned his second wildcard appearance on the V4-engined YZR-M1 at the 2025 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix, but he failed to shine.

Fernandez has assumed the responsibility of track testing the Japanese manufacturer’s bike for the 2026 MotoGP season at select races as the 2025 campaign draws to a close. But the 28-year-old could not show much promise at Sepang, as Yamaha limited his available power.

Yamaha adopted a cautious approach for Fernandez’s wildcard at the Malaysian GP, with the 2022 Moto2 champion not allowed to use the full potential of the Iwata team’s V4 engine at Sepang. Their decision ensured Fernandez was stuck at the rear of the field in every session.

Fernandez would only qualify P23 for the Malaysian GP, with his 1:59.382 lap time in Q1 also 2.234 seconds off Fermin Aldeguer’s time that saw the Gresini rookie set the early pace. The Spaniard also finished 25.412s off the lead in the Sprint and 47.060s off in the Malaysian GP.

Augusto Fernandez admits Yamaha’s ‘only positive’ is they know the V4’s main weakness

Only Michele Pirro, as the Ducati test rider replaced the injured Marc Marquez, finished the Sepang Sprint behind Fernandez by 0.662s. Only Miguel Oliveira also finished the Malaysian GP behind Fernandez, yet after the Pramac man had crashed and re-joined in Sunday’s race.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Yamaha from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Fernandez now admits that the “only positive” Yamaha can take from wildcarding the V4 at Sepang is that they left the Malaysian GP facing the same problem as after its first outing at the San Marino Grand Prix. They are also only back in the same position as they left Misano.

“It’s been a tough weekend for us,” Fernandez said, via Motorsport.com. “We started worse than we finished at Misano. So, we felt we had to start again to figure out what we needed to do these days, to find our base.

“The only positive thing is that, with all the work we’ve done, we’re now at the same point as we finished the race at Misano. I’m struggling at the same point, and also with the guys, after analysing all the data, we know we have the same problem as in Misano.

“We can say that the only positive is this, that we have a clear direction to follow at least for the next test and for Valencia, to try to improve. But we need parts, we need something more, because we did everything we could with what we had.”

Mat Oxley has heard ‘mumblings’ Yamaha’s V4 bike will not be ready for the start of 2026

Yamaha experimented with various set-ups and geometries on Fernandez’s bike as he rode the V4 M1 at Sepang last weekend. But, on top of Fernandez crashing during practice for the Malaysian GP, the Madrid native could not show the bike’s true potential during any session.

Fernandez will race the V4 Yamaha again at next month’s Valencia Grand Prix, with the 2025 season finale followed by a test. But Mat Oxley has heard “mumblings” that the Yamaha V4 bike will not be ready to race in 2026, so a lack of progress in Valencia would spark concern.

Oxley told Motor Sport Magazine: “If the engine and chassis have not improved by then, it will be a real worry for Yamaha, where there are already mumblings that the bike might not be ready for the start of the 2026 season.”

Yamaha know they must develop a V4 bike as their current inline four engine does not offer enough straight-line speed, with Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller and Oliveira sitting ducks down the straights. The inline four’s lack of straight-line speed was blatant at Sepang.

While Quartararo qualified P4 for the Malaysian GP as the only Yamaha rider in the top nine, Rins and Pramac’s Miller at 334.3km/h (207.7mph) set the best top speeds on the inline four M1. Pedro Acosta of KTM recorded the best top speed during Q2 at 341.7km/h (212.2mph).