Augusto Fernandez back for Malaysian MotoGP wild-card: “I’ve missed the V4 so much!”
Augusto Fernandez says he has “missed the Yamaha V4 so much” as he returns for a second MotoGP race with the prototype at Sepang.
Augusto Fernandez makes a much-anticipated second MotoGP appearance on the new Yamaha V4 prototype during this weekend’s Malaysian MotoGP.
It will be Fernandez’s seventh event of the season, following three Pramac rides in place of Miguel Oliveira, then three factory Yamaha wild-cards.
The most recent of those was a headline-grabbing race debut for the V4 at Misano, where, despite some technical issues, Fernandez scored points for 14th.
However, the V4 received mixed reviews from Yamaha’s race riders at the post-race test, with former world champion Fabio Quartararo warning: “I don't see any progress in the areas we need.”
Team-mate Alex Rins and Pramac’s Jack Miller were more positive, after lapping between 0.6-0.9s off their times with the current Inline4 bike on the same day.
The big question now is how much the V4 has improved since mid-September, especially in terms of maximum engine performance, having been bottom of the speed charts at Misano.
"I'm happy to be back racing. After the GP in Misano, it has been a long time, but I'm very excited about the upcoming weekend,” Fernandez said.
“We will keep improving the package of our V4-powered prototype. We're back on track and racing again.
“I missed riding the V4-powered prototype so much, and I can't wait to start the weekend and see what's possible.
“But, of course, it's going to be another weekend of developing the prototype bike, so the main target is to be ready for the next season."
Fernandez finished fourth as a Moto2 rider in the Malaysian Grand Prix and has a best MotoGP result of tenth, for Tech3 KTM last season.
After Sepang, Fernandez and the V4 will also compete in the Valencia season finale, before the race riders try the latest version of the bike in the post-race test.
Despite the immense effort of creating a parallel project, Yamaha is yet to officially confirm that the V4 will replace the Inline machine next year, insisting it must prove it is more competitive.
Quartararo took a stunning pole position on the current bike last weekend in Phillip Island, but faded to eleventh in the Grand Prix.
Yamaha hopes that the V4 bike layout can help its main weakness of rear grip.
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