Lead Yamaha factory rider Fabio Quartararo expects to be racing Yamaha’s new V4 throughout the 2026 MotoGP season – despite the prototype’s concerning lack of pace in its latest race outing.
While Quartararo and the rest of Yamaha’s race riders are still competing aboard the Japanese company’s inline four, the factory has been developing the V4 in parallel. Test rider Augusto Fernandez gave it its first race appearance in a wildcard outing at Misano in September, and again at Sepang last month.
The bike showed a distinct lack of progress between the first and second of these events, with Fernandez sounding unconvinced of its potential following the Malaysian weekend.
While Yamaha has not officially committed to the V4 for 2026 – the only year in which the bike would be race-legal before the sweeping rules changes coming for 2027 – it is heavily invested in the project. As the last MotoGP manufacturer to explore the V4 route, next year would also be a learning opportunity as it works on a 2027 V4 challenger.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix, Quartararo suggested the decision about Yamaha’s 2026 bike was as good as made.
Asked if he was 100% certain he would be riding the V4 next season, the 2021 world champion said: “For me, what I understand, yes. For me, it’s 99% ‘yes’.”
Augusto Fernandez aboard the V4 at Sepang
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Asked if Yamaha might split its efforts between the two different engine layouts, across the factory and Pramac teams, next season, Quartararo was also clear.
“No,” he replied. “I mean, the 99% is because maybe the V4 has less performance than the four inline. And maybe the riders ask for the four inline. But this is Yamaha’s decision.
“But what I understand is we race with the V4.”
Despite the apparent difficulties around the V4 project, the Frenchman held back on repeating his routine criticism of Yamaha. Quartararo’s decisive test aboard the new challenger is coming up directly after next weekend’s Valencia finale – and it’s a date seen as crucial for the future of a rider-factory relationship that is on edge.
Asked if he had spoken much to Fernandez or spent time looking at the Spaniard’s data thus far, Quartararo offered only a measured prod to Yamaha.
“Yes, I’ve talked to Augusto. Actually, at Sepang, I gave him one of my swing arms for him to test. Because they had some vibrations and they needed to see a bit how he was going with the swing arm.
“It was a bit better, but of course, as the results show, he’s still far. I think that more than [me looking at] his data, it’s the engineers that have to understand exactly what they need to do to close the gap.”
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