Suspicions arise over MotoGP boss nervous about his team’s problems

Each MotoGP team is battling different problems, whether they are the front or the back of the grid.

Team bosses - or the big bosses who oversee the whole project - can often be the first name blamed if anything goes wrong on-track, or even off-track.

Whether it be concerns over riders, contracts, bike development or dealing with MotoGP’s politics, their jobs are demanding.

Crash.net experts point to the MotoGP boss who will most nervous about his problems during the summer break…

'His biggest challenge is not just the bike...'

Alex Whitworth: If there’s one team boss under pressure at the moment it’s probably Maio Meregalli, simply because Fabio Quartararo keeps being unsatisfied with Yamaha.

If this continues into 2026 then the French rider will probably be on his way. If Toprak Razgatlioglu performs well next year, that might not be such a huge loss, but that’s a substantial ‘if’.

Derry Munikartono: That would undoubtedly be Paolo Pavesio, the new man at the helm of Yamaha’s MotoGP project. While Pavesio inherited a team deep in rebuild mode, his biggest challenge isn’t just the bike—it’s keeping Fabio Quartararo on board. The 2021 World Champion has grown increasingly frustrated with the YZR-M1, especially when it comes to race pace. 

On Saturdays, Yamaha’s step forward is undeniable: Quartararo has secured four pole positions already this season, a testament to the technical progress made since the low point of 2024. But on Sundays, it all unravels. Race trim performance continues to fall short, tire wear remains unpredictable, and Fabio has only one podium to show for all that qualifying brilliance—a second-place finish at Jerez.

Behind the scenes, Yamaha is making bold moves. They’ve brought in engineering mastermind Max Bartolini as Technical Director, and they’re even hedging their bets by developing a parallel V4 engine project alongside their traditional inline-four. But development takes time, and patience is a scarce commodity when your star rider is openly questioning the project's competitiveness. Quartararo has made no secret of his desire for a winning bike now, and his body language suggests he’s nearing the edge.

That leaves Pavesio walking a tightrope. He must not only accelerate Yamaha’s technical turnaround but also sell the vision to Quartararo—convince him to trust the process and stay committed beyond 2026. If he fails, Yamaha risks losing their franchise rider at the worst possible time, just as they’re beginning to claw their way back into contention. For now, no boss has more at stake—or more reasons to sweat—than Paolo Pavesio.

Peter McLaren: Pramac Yamaha is currently in a tense wait to find out Yamaha’s decision on whether to keep Jack Miller, Miguel Oliveira - or wave goodbye to both for 2026.

After winning last year’s MotoGP title with Jorge Martin and Ducati, Pramac have also had to come to terms with much more meagre results with Yamaha. Despite signs of potential, including Miller taking a pair of fifth places, Pramac are currently bottom of the teams’ standings. On the plus side, they have the exciting prospect of Toprak Razgatlioglu arriving next year.

'Much more expected' from Honda

Jordan Moreland: Alberto Puig, I think they expected much more from the factory Honda team. But I hope they can turn it around and get some well-deserved results. Johann Zarco winning for LCR was great, but the factory team of Joan Mir and Luca Marini must be itching to taste the podium prosecco.

Lewis Duncan: The factory Yamaha team, on paper, looks like it’s in good shape. It’s currently sixth in the teams’ championship after 12 rounds, even if the Japanese marque at large is last in the constructors’ table.

But the team is enjoying its mid-pack teams’ championship standing in no small part to 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo.

In races they’ve both finished, Quartararo has been beaten by team-mate Alex Rins once. Quartararo has a dry weather podium when he was second at the Spanish Grand Prix and has been on pole four times.

Rins, who hasn’t battled the same kind of injury woes that he has in recent years, has been especially lacklustre in the final rounds up to the summer break. In Germany he was almost 40 seconds off the leader in a 10th-place largely the result of crashes ahead of him, while Quartararo was 20s up the road in fourth.

While Quartararo was sixth in the Czech Grand Prix, Rins was about 11s further back in 15th. Since baldy breaking his leg in 2023, Rins hasn’t quite been the same and Yamaha’s patience will soon run thin. Even though he has a contract for 2026, there have already been rumours that Rins could be moved aside.

Ultimately, Yamaha is in a rebuilding phase still. But if the factory squad can’t rely on Rins to deliver big results alongside Quartararo, then that will only hold back the manufacturer’s progress.