Marco Bezzecchi
Yamaha may be forced to start MotoGP races from the pit lane later in the season if they burn through too many V4 engines.
The 2026 season got off to a bleak start for the Japanese manufacturer as they scored just three points at the Thailand Grand Prix. All four M1 riders placed between 14th and 18th in Sunday’s race.
Yamaha cancelled media interviews after the race, apparently out of fear that their frustrated riders would create a PR ‘mess’. The team have made every effort to downplay expectations while they’re still at the beginning of the V4 development cycle.
Finish the sentence, Fabio Quartararo’s best result in 2026 will be…
Yamaha could face pit-lane starts because of MotoGP engine limits
There are suggestions that Fabio Quartararo’s engine failed on the in-lap in Buriram. While that didn’t cost him any points immediately, it could have longer-term repercussions.
As pointed out by Motorsport Espana, the Yamaha riders only have 10 engines to cover the 2026 season. Confirmation about the status of Quartararo’s Thailand engine will arrive in the coming days.
If a rider breaches the 10-engine limit, they will have to start each subsequent race from the pit lane. Some team staff are already ‘speculating’ about when this will happen, rather than if.
- READ MORE: Jorge Lorenzo slams Fabio Quartararo for his ‘overly harsh criticism’ of Yamaha’s 2026 MotoGP bike
Yamaha have expressed optimism that they will be more competitive in the second half of the season, but even then, they may be confined to the lower points places if they have to start at the back.
Unreliability has predictably been a problem since the V4 switch. Yamaha even had to miss a day of testing in Sepang while they investigated an engine failure.
Pramac wish they were still racing with Ducati bikes
It’s been reported that satellite team Pramac are regretting their deal with Yamaha. In 2024, the last year of their partnership with Ducati, Jorge Martin won the world championship.
Pramac had already won the teams’ title in 2023, but they dropped to the very bottom of the standings in 2025. They are currently experiencing the longest podium drought on the grid, and there’s no prospect of that ending this year.
The pressure has increased with the arrival of World Superbikes champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, which brings greater media attention.
Razgatlioglu is ‘99%’ sure to stay at Pramac for 2027, even though there will be at least one vacancy at the factory team, with Quartararo set to join Honda.
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