Yamaha rider lets slip intriguing whispers about V4 prototype development

Augusto Fernandez wasn’t able to add to his six MotoGP points so far this season during his wildcard appearance at Brno, but took satisfaction from finishing ahead of two of the five Yamahas in terms of fastest race lap.

Serving a long lap penalty for his Sprint clash with Takaaki Nakagami, Fernandez crossed the line in 18th and last.

“A tough race with the long lap penalty, but I’m happy with my speed,” said the Spaniard. 

“My fastest lap time was better than Miguel [Oliveira] and Jack [Miller] and the same as Alex [Rins]. Still half a second from Fabio [Quartararo], but I'm there. It's good for me to recover the pace and get information by finishing the race after my mistake.

“So now back to testing in Barcelona.”

That test was expected to include another outing for the V4 prototype, the characteristics of which factory star Fabio Quartararo revealed could help his current braking issues.

The Frenchman feels he can “only brake with the front” while Yamaha’s V4 rivals are making more use of the rear tyre to decelerate.

“We are very focused to not have the same problem with the V4,” Fernandez confirmed. 

“It’s still soon to say because we need to be faster and ride with the V4 to the limit. But yeah, we are really focused to not have the same [braking] problem.”

Unintended stoppies were also an issue for Jack Miller during the Czech Grand Prix.

“With us, the fuel is behind where the second bank of cylinders generally would be [on a V4], so it's not too bad in that sense. But you definitely notice as it gets lighter,” Miller said. “You lose that [rear] contact and especially with the way these tyres are at the moment, you need both tyres to be able to stop the bike.”

“This is a particular V4 - a Yamaha V4"

Although Yamaha has not officially confirmed whether the V4 will replace its Inline-four for 2026 - the final year of the 1000cc engine regulations - Fernandez revealed that focus has now shifted heavily toward the new machine.

“We need to accelerate the process because if we want to race with the V4 next year, we still need to do a lot of work,” said Fernandez. “It's not the full package yet. The engine is not the full one. Everything is just very early, the first chassis.

“But it's looking good. Everything looks very positive. But it's still not fast enough yet, which is what will decide for next year.

“So let’s see if in the next months, during this summer, we have some tests to try to accelerate the process and have the bike ready for the end of the season.”

An obvious limiting factor in terms of lap time is that the V4 engine is not yet being run at full performance.

“The engine is not at its full potential. They don't give us all the power yet. But as I said, at some point we will need to see which one is faster in terms of lap time. That’s what will decide.”

“But, there’s no negative. We just need better lap times. We're doing a good job and I think Yamaha is doing a good job. It will be a good bike.

“I feel very good with the V4. It's very different compared to our current bike. The potential looks like it is better, I can say.

“I’ve been working more and more on the V4 in recent tests, without forgetting our current M1. But we are at the end of the M1’s project, so everyone in Yamaha is fully focused on the V4 right now. We just need a bit more time.”

Fernandez brings previous V4 MotoGP experience from two seasons at KTM, while fellow Yamaha test rider Andrea Dovizioso offers V4 insight from Honda, Ducati and some tests with Aprilia.

“They are following their own way,” Fernandez said of Yamaha’s approach. “This is a particular V4 - a Yamaha V4.”

The coming months will be decisive, not only in terms of Yamaha's 2026 engine choice, but also whether Fernandez is given the green light to race the V4 as a wildcard before the end of this season.