Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu makes his MotoGP debut this season aboard the Yamaha. He will no doubt have aspirations of racing for the factory team in 2027, but he begins with satellite team Pramac.
Yamaha were the slowest manufacturer in MotoGP last year but it would be wrong to characterise them as backmarkers. They scored three podiums (including Sprints) and five pole positions, although all of those came from Fabio Quartararo.
Razgatlioglu enters the fold at the beginning of a new era as Yamaha debut their V4 engine. They were the last holdout for the inline four.
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At the launch of their 2026 bike on Wednesday, Yamaha played down expectations in the short-term. They will almost certainly embark on the steepest development curve of any MotoGP this year.
Luigi Dall’Igna shares his thoughts on Yamaha as V4 era begins
2021 champion Quartararo remains the last rider to beat Ducati in the riders’ championship. But since his last victory at the 2022 German GP, Desmosedici bikes have won 60 races.
Speaking to GPOne, Luigi Dall’Igna said he still ‘respects’ the threat posed by Yamaha, who were on course to end that win drought at the British GP before Quartararo’s ride-height device failed.
Yamaha were elite through the corners at times last year, and now they hope to address their power deficit with the V4. Dall’Igna has backed the move, suggesting they had to commit to a philosophy after developing two bikes in tandem last year.
“Yamaha showed something very beautiful last year – dominating in Silverstone,” said Dall’Igna. “All of our opponents have shown something extremely beautiful over the past season. I respect all of them.
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Asked specifically about the V4, he replied: “What I always say is that the wrong thing is to have two philosophies that often contrast and risk coming into conflict. In my opinion, it’s right to make a decision, whether it’s the inline four or the V4.
“Obviously, from a technical point of view, I have my own ideas, but it’s right that Yamaha makes their own decision.
“If they chose the V4, it’s probably because they saw that, technically, it could give them greater advantages than an inline four.”
Is Yamaha’s 2026 bike a Ducati painted blue?
In line with Dall’Igna’s assessment, Yamaha boss Paolo Pavesio says their new bike has more ‘potential’, even if it might be slower than its immediate predecessor at first.
The hope is that it will allow their riders to truly ‘fight’ in the race, rather than being swallowed up on the straights.
Experts immediately noticed that Yamaha have copied Ducati in multiple ways with their 2026 design. It’s inevitable that rivals are taking inspiration from the series’ dominant team.
Aprilia chief Massimo Rivola expects Yamaha to be lagging behind the other four brands, but Dall’Igna sounds more optimistic about their chances.
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