Yamaha’s V4 engine gamble has already failed its main objective with Fabio Quartararo set to leave

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Yamaha announced that they would abandon their inline-four engine for a V4 engine to try to retain Fabio Quartararo.

There had been rumblings within the MotoGP paddock during the 2025 season regarding Fabio Quartararo’s future with Yamaha.

The Frenchman signed a two-year deal for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, but his long-term future with Yamaha became unlikely due to the lack of performance from the M1.

In a move to try to convince Quartararo to stay, Yamaha decided to develop a V4 engine for the 2026 season to improve the top speed of the M1, a factor Quartararo had been crying out for.

However, it appears Quartararo made his verdict before testing the 2026 version of Yamaha’s V4 engine at the Sepang test.

Yamaha made the move to a V4 to convince Quartararo to remain

Although Yamaha were already struggling for performance during the 2025 season and finished last in the manufacturers’ championship, Quartararo was competitive at a handful of rounds.

The French rider was able to claim a Grand Prix podium and two Sprint Race podiums in 2025, as well as missing out on victory at Silverstone due to a ride height device failure.

With tensions rising in the Yamaha factory garage, the decision was made to join the rest of the grid with a V4 engine to try and boost the M1’s competitiveness for Quartararo.

However, Motosprint reports that it was a ‘losing battle from the start’ for Yamaha as Quartararo had already decided not to remain with Yamaha with or without a V4 engine in his M1.

Before the Sepang test, it was reported that Quartararo had agreed to a deal to join Honda for the 2027 and 2028 MotoGP seasons.

Fabio Quartararo’s frustrations do not only lie with the M1

It has also been reported that Quartararo has not only been frustrated by the performance of the Yamaha M1 in recent years, but also by the bosses at the Japanese manufacturer.

Quartararo has reportedly been ‘frustrated’ by Paolo Pavesio since he took over as the head figure in the factory Yamaha garage from Lin Jarvis.

At the end of the 2025 MotoGP season, Quartararo revealed that he ‘doesn’t speak much with Paolo’ and instead prefers to speak to the people that matter in the garage.

Although Yamaha put all their eggs in one basket to try to retain Quartararo, it appears the writing has always been on the wall regarding his future with the Iwata-based factory.