Marco Bezzecchi
Jack Miller has claimed that Yamaha have made a ‘step forward’ with their V4 MotoGP bike despite enduring a tough start to the 2026 season.
So far in 2026, Yamaha have been left well behind by their rivals as they sit ninth in the standings with just 46 points.
Last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix was another tough pill to swallow as Alex Rins failed to finish, while Fabio Quartararo came home 18th.
Meanwhile, Yamaha satellite team, Pramac Racing duo, Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu finished 15th and 16th, respectively.
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Jack Miller sees where Yamaha have actually taken a ‘step forward’
Although it was a tough weekend, Miller admitted that he was satisfied with the progress made by the team.
The Australian stated that although they are still behind their rivals, Yamaha have made a ‘step forward’, especially when asked about Rins’ complaints about poor turn-in at Mugello.
As reported by Speedweek, Miller said: “Satisfied with the weekend, a weekend full of progress. We know our weaknesses, but we’ll keep fighting.
“If you lose two tenths to the guys in front of you and can’t close the gap before the final corner, then it’s over, because you’re seven tenths behind after the straight.
“You can gain about 10 to 12 km/h with the slipstream. But I also had problems accelerating out of the corners; I had to be very careful with the throttle.
“But we also tried a few new things this weekend – we’ll continue working on it and testing everything we have.”
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The Australian added: “We’ve taken a step forward. I’ve been riding the other chassis since Jerez. In terms of pure performance, it might not be quite as good as the other one, but as far as the feedback is concerned, I’m quite satisfied with it.
“That’s the direction we’re working in to understand how we can improve performance with this package as well.”
Ahead of the 2026 season, Yamaha decided to ditch the inline-four engines for V4 engines to move back up the grid and challenge towards the front.
The team’s decision to make a change in 2026 is also an attempt to understand the V4 engines ahead of next season.
However, Yamaha are still yet to find the right balance with the new set-up and will have to step up their game if they want to challenge next season.
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