Yamaha with “one eye on 2026” as MotoGP Asian tour begins

The Asian leg of the MotoGP is always a period that throws up unpredictability and even opportunities for lesser-fancied riders, teams, and factories to achieve strong results; but Yamaha says it is heading to its home race, the Japanese Grand Prix, on 26–28 September with “one eye on 2026”.

The Iwata factory debuted, in a race scenario, the V4 engine it is expected to race with all four of its official bikes – those both of the factory Monster Energy Yamaha team and the semi-factory Pramac Yamaha team – in the 2026 season at the previous race in Misano with its official MotoGP test rider: Augusto Fernandez.

Fernandez will not race this weekend in Motegi, but it became apparent at Misano that the V4 should return to MotoGP race action at the Malaysian Grand Prix at the end of October.

Even still, Monster Energy Yamaha Team Manager Massimo Meregalli says that Yamaha is already looking ahead to 2026 with six races still remaining in 2025, including this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

“The Japanese GP is always a special round for Yamaha,” Meregalli said.

“It's our manufacturer's home race, and it means a lot for the team to compete in front of our colleagues from the factory and the many passionate fans who always give us their full support. 

“We are heading into the important overseas leg of the season: a significant stage to book progress with an eye on 2026. 

“Japan is the perfect place to underline Yamaha's fighting spirit. As usual, the team will give it their best effort to put on a good show for the fans.”

Quartararo “ready to give my maximum”

The change currently happening within Yamaha means that its riders are in a kind of limbo; since the inline-four engine is expected to be retired at the end of this season, the mileage ridden on the bike in the final races of 2025 is unlikely to provide any benefit into the future, so the relevance of any result is limited strictly to the present.

Despite this odd context in which he is racing, Fabio Quartararo says he is “ready to give my maximum” at Yamaha’s home race in Japan.

“Racing in Japan is always something unique: the fans there show their support with custom-made masks, banners, clothes, and shoes – it gives the paddock a special atmosphere,” Quartararo said ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

“Our team feels extra motivation in Motegi, so we will give it our 100 per cent, as always.

“Hopefully, we can have a good Friday straight away. I'm ready to give my maximum.”

Alex Rins echoed Quartararo’s comments, saying he has “extra motivation” in Japan.

“After a short break of one week, we start the second overseas part,” he said.

“The Japanese GP is very important for us. This round is Yamaha's home race, so we know all the engineers and staff will be paying close attention to our performance. 

“The fans in Japan are incredible, and their support gives us extra motivation to push. I'm looking forward to starting the weekend.”