Marco Bezzecchi
Yamaha had an interrupted pre-season test at the Sepang International Circuit as their issues with the V4 engine continue ahead of the start of the season.
It has been widely documented about Yamaha’s struggles earlier this month at the Sepang MotoGP Test, but discussions have still continued regarding their position ahead of 2026.
The Japanese manufacturer decided to switch from an Inline-four engine to a V4 engine, a decision which may not benefit Yamaha during the year.
Yamaha were searching for more top speed in the 2026 season, and did not believe the Inline-four was the best way to go for the future, and opted to develop a narrower V4 engine.
Should Yamaha go back to their inline four engine until the V4 is ready?
Neil Hodgson has ‘never known’ a manufacturer pause testing
In the Gas It Out podcast, Neil Hodgson discussed Yamaha’s decision to pause their testing programme midway through the 2026 Sepang test.
With a clear development deficit to the other manufacturers, Yamaha have found themselves in a position where they have a new engine, which is still slower than what they desired.
Yamaha then had to pause their testing plan at Sepang due to safety issues with the new V4 engine, a decision that shocked Hodgson.
Hodgson said, “I have never known it before, and I have been involved in this sport for 30-odd years, but they did the right thing. They had to see if it was a safety issue.
“They had done the three-day testing anyway with everybody, and Augusto Fernandez, and [Andrea] Dovizioso, everyone had been out. But there obviously was an issue; they did the right thing by double-checking it.”
Hodgson continued, “Think about it this way, if you look where Yamaha are at, all the other manufacturers are fine-tuning the last 1%, but Yamaha are in the 10%, they are that far off.
“It is not that they have done anything wrong, but the 20 years of development and fine tuning is the difference. As it stands, they have a V4 that is slow as well; it is 10km/h down, they are building this bike that they are trying to understand, plus it is slow.
“The idea was that they would at least have top speed, but they have not even got that.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu needs time with the Yamaha MotoGP bike
One of the major headlines for Yamaha heading into the 2026 season was the arrival of the three-time World Superbike Champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu.
The Turkish rider has long been searching for a ride in the MotoGP paddock, and will race for the Pramac Racing squad on a Yamaha M1 this season.
However, with the high expectations on him, his former team boss from World Superbikes, Manuel Puccetti, is scared for Razgatlioglu with all of the hype surrounding his move to MotoGP.
Puccetti is not alone with his thoughts on the Turkish rider, as former MotoGP team boss, Livio Suppo, also believes it is ‘impossible’ for Razgatlioglu to be competitive instantly on the Yamaha M1.
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