PICTURES: Yamaha unveils V4 MotoGP prototype at Misano

Yamaha has officially presented its new V4-powered MotoGP prototype, which will make a race debut in the hands of test rider Augusto Fernandez as a wild-card entry in this weekend’s Misano round.

Yamaha has campaigned an Inline-powered M1 since the start of the four-stroke era in 2002, winning eight riders’ titles (Valentino Rossi x4, Jorge Lorenzo x3, Fabio Quartararo x1) and 125 grands prix.

But the most recent of those wins came at Sachsenring 2022, with lead rider Quartararo sliding down the riders’ standings from runner-up to Francesco Bagnaia in 2022, to tenth in 2023 and just 13th in 2024.

This season has shown flashes of a revival, with Quartararo taking Yamaha’s first podium since 2023 and cruelly denied victory at Silverstone by a technical issue, but the Frenchman is only eighth in the world championship.

"We will race what proves most competitive"

"We have taken on an ambitious project developing a new V4 engine and a whole new bike, and it is particularly demanding when done simultaneously with the 2025 bike development," said Takahiro Sumi, General Manager of Yamaha's Motor Sports Development Division.

"Such a challenge comes with high stakes and pressure: it's the type of project that can only be done right when it's not just a 'team effort' but a 'company effort', and all involved have to give it 100%.

"From the start of the V4 project there were many questions to be answered, and we are still in the development stage, but one thing is for certain: our goal is to return Yamaha to winning ways with an evidence‑based approach. 

"The V4‑powered prototype reflects one integrated project where Japan and Europe share responsibilities and expertise. 

"Thanks to the hard work of Project Leader Kazuhiro Masuda, Technical Director Max Bartolini, the Yamaha engineers, the Yamaha Factory Racing Test Team, the test riders, the technical partners, and all others who contributed, we are able to take strategic steps and make progress.

"We thank the fans for their never-failing support, and we hope that they will continue to show interest in our journey back to the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing. 

"Exploration is part of Yamaha's DNA. The V4‑powered prototype opens an additional technical pathway. We will race what proves most competitive."

Yamaha first confirmed it was building a new V4 prototype, in parallel with the current machine, exactly a year ago.

Since the departure of Suzuki, Yamaha has been the only MotoGP manufacturer not to use a V4 layout. However, the expected benefits are not from engine performance.

“I think the biggest advantage is from the layout of the bike, more than from the [V4] engine,” Yamaha MotoGP technical director Max Bartolini told Crash.net earlier this year.

“Aerodynamic-wise the [V4] bike should be 10 to 15 centimetres narrower. Then weight distribution, bike layout, will go a little bit ‘more backward’ [onto the rear tyre].

“In general, those two points are good enough to help. And also, normally a V4 engine is a little bit lighter than an Inline4.

“So everything goes in the direction that maybe you can have an advantage [with the V4]. But this doesn't mean it will be the best. Because still we need to make a bike and prove that it's faster than the actual one now!”

The V4 has undergone extensive private testing in the hands of Fernandez, with additional feedback from Andrea Dovizioso.

The bike’s most recent outing was at Barcelona on Monday, where Quartararo and team-mate Alex Rins made their V4 debuts before heading to Misano.

Leaked lap times suggest Quartararo was fastest of the Yamaha and Honda riders present during the rain-interrupted day in Barcelona, with a lap time around 1.5s slower than his Sprint best in the grand prix weekend.

Thursday’s presentation provided the first official images of the bike, with the first official Yamaha V4 lap times appearing when Fernandez takes to the track in Friday morning’s FP1.

Although Yamaha insists a final decision on which bike they will race next season is yet to be made, development has swung almost completely behind the V4 project.

Yamaha is now "fully focused on the V4,” Quartararo said last weekend. “I think we’ll have nothing to test [on the current bike] from now until the end of the season."

"I know [the V4 is] the future bike of ’26. It’ll be great to see Augusto racing it,” the Frenchman added.

Fernandez, who has extended his testing contract with Yamaha until the end of 2027, said of the new project: 

"You feel the pressure on our shoulders to create a winning bike. Now it's the real time, the racing time. 

"I think we did a good job and are ready to race at Misano."

Quartararo and other Yamaha riders are due to set their first official lap times on the V4 during Monday’s post-race test.

2026 is the final year of 1,000cc engine rules and Michelin tyres, with a new 850cc/Pirelli era beginning in 2027.