Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP testing at Sepang gave everyone an early indication of the pecking order in 2026, and it is clear that Yamaha are far behind.
It was always going to be a learning year for the Iwata factory in 2026 as they introduce and develop the V4 bike. However, not many would have expected the issues that they have gone on to face in testing.
Yamaha first lost their star rider in Fabio Quartararo, who broke a finger in his right hand in a crash on day one, which ruled him out of the rest of the test. When he returned to the track in the afternoon, the Frenchman and Toprak Razgatlioglu encountered engine trouble.
How worrying are Yamaha’s safety issues with the V4?
The issue left the Iwata outfit taking all six of their riders off the track for day two to find the solution. Fortunately, it was not as severe as previously feared, as they returned to Sepang for day three.
But the fact that they had the issue at all is deeply concerning and shows just how much work they have ahead of them. Yamaha say they are ’15 years behind’ with the V4’s development, and there is a reason for that.
Yamaha staff privately say that Japan’s decision-making with development is ‘too slow’
Peter Bom discussed Yamaha’s problems in Malaysia via the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast. He spoke with some members of the team, and they expressed dissatisfaction with the Japanese side of their operation.
“Yeah, that’s the long story. I mean, there’s a lot of stories at the same time in Yamaha,” said Bom, going through their long list of problems.
“I start with the first one, lack of progress, because we see the bikes in Misano with the swing arm pivot that low and slow engine, we see the same in Valencia, and we see, still, the same here.
“And I still see the same starter motors, there is only one or two new starter motors, and they still, I mean, from Misano last year to now you can’t make a new starter.
Predict the order of the Yamaha riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
“I know it’s not important, but at the same time, there’s lots of things that tells me that the development of the bike is just too slow. I get the feeling from the few people that wanted to talk to me and nobody is really indiscreet.
“But the feeling I get [from] what they want to tell me probably as well is that the decision-making in Japan is just slowing down the whole process. That’s the bottleneck.
“So yeah, but in the end, the lack of progress is really, really worrying. It’s not a bad bike, it stops like a V4. And it has the problem that all the young V4s always have: understeer, because that’s the real trick.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Yamaha from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Yamaha riders were fuming with the V4 engine issues at Sepang
The engine trouble at Sepang was far from ideal for Yamaha, leaving their riders frustrated after losing valuable track time. Pramac rider Jack Miller even refused to answer questions about the V4.
It was particularly damaging for his rookie teammate, Toprak Razgatlioglu. The Turkish rider is learning to adapt to MotoGP from WSBK and needs all the time on the track that he can get.
Razgatlioglu is already struggling on the straights and his position on the bike due to his height. More track time can help him solve these issues, but losing it in Malaysia with mechanical problems is incredibly costly.
Razgatlioglu is bound to be unhappy with Yamaha over the problem, with it being hinted that he may call his manager to discuss the ‘mess’. The Iwata outfit’s 2026 season could not have got off to a worse start.
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