V4 prototype unveiled at Misano
As of 2025, five manufacturers are competing in MotoGP: Ducati, KTM, Aprilia, Honda, and Yamaha. Of these, all four manufacturers except Yamaha are equipped with V4 engines. Yamaha is the only manufacturer competing with the YZR-M1, a MotoGP machine equipped with an in-line four-cylinder engine, but since Fabio Quartararo won the championship in 2021, the brand has continued to lag behind European manufacturers.
In this situation, in September 2024, former Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, Lin Jarvis, publicly announced that Yamaha was “developing a V4 engine.”
Yamaha’s V4 engine has been developed and tested behind the scenes, and this work has been carried out while the season is running, in other words, at the same time as the development of the current YZR-M1, so it’s not hard to imagine how difficult this task must have been.
The unveiling of the V4 prototype machine took place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Yamaha hospitality on Thursday of the San Marino Grand Prix.
Takahiro Sumi, head of Yamaha’s Motorsport Development Department, explained the V4 development project as follows:
“The goal of this project is, of course, to get back on track. However, as you know, this is not a simple or smooth endeavor. That’s why we’re trying to approach it not just from a technical perspective, but also from a knowledge perspective. We’re not just changing the way we work, but also changing the mindset of each individual member of staff.”
Also, and this is important, Yamaha has emphasized that its wildcard entry in the San Marino Grand Prix is merely a verification phase in actual racing.
Paolo Pavezio, current Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, said, “The mission given to this new prototype was to achieve the same level of performance as the current YZR-M1. I think we’re very close to that goal. However, before making a final decision, we need to ride this bike during race week. We need to thoroughly evaluate its performance and explore its potential.”
San Marino GP: Test riders take the V4 for a test run
On Friday, test rider Augusto Fernandez took to the track as a wildcard entry for the first time on a V4 prototype machine. Fernandez is a rider with V4 engine experience, having competed on KTM’s RC16 MotoGP machine as a member of KTM’s satellite team until 2024.
He felt good on Friday, but on Saturday and Sunday, his comments became more critical. Fernandez’s qualifying (Q1) time was 1 minute 31.812 seconds, roughly 1.3 seconds behind Quartararo, who topped the Q1 standings. Quartararo’s time was achieved with the in-line four-cylinder YZR-M1.
In the 13-lap sprint race on Saturday afternoon, he finished in 18th place, about 28 seconds behind the winner, and about 11 seconds behind Yamaha’s top-placed rider, Jack Miller.
In Sunday’s final race (27 laps), he finished 14th, about one minute behind the winner. However, since eight riders fell or retired due to machine trouble, it’s best to think in terms of time difference rather than ranking. He was about 41 seconds behind the top-placed Yamaha rider, Quartararo.
After Sunday’s race, Fernandez said: “There’s a lot to understand because it feels like the window to get a good feeling is very narrow. We had problems too – the dashboard wasn’t working and we had problems with fuel economy, so we were managing it for 17 laps. It was difficult to have a consistent race.”
However, Fernandez also explained, “I think this weekend was good because we were able to start the real development process in a racing environment.”
Unlike race weekends, test riders generally ride alone. They’re not competing with others or desperately trying to beat the time. In fact, this weekend was the first time Fernandez tried to get a good time on the V4 prototype machine using soft tyres. There are also some details that can only be gleaned from a 27-lap race, i.e., the actual race distance.
“During testing you think ‘it’s good’ or ‘it’s OK’, but here it’s really tested to see if it’s good or not. Good is good, but right now it’s not great.”
“But the potential is there. When you feel good, you’re already better than before. The problem is that the feeling is not consistent.”
The V4 prototype machine has just begun to be tested in actual races, and Fernandez says he plans to make wildcard appearances in the Malaysian and Valencia Grand Prix.
Augusto Fernandez has been Yamaha’s test rider since this season and has been in charge of developing the V4 engine. ©YAMAHA
