Yamaha V4 ‘won’t be at full power’ for Valencia MotoGP

Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez says the new V4 prototype will not run at full power during its final wild-card appearance of the 2025 MotoGP season at Valencia.

Fernandez, who has already raced the machine at Misano and Sepang, hopes a new chassis, or at least a version with greater adjustability, will be available for the Valencia Grand Prix.

However, he doesn’t expect any increase in engine performance, with output still intentionally capped to ensure reliability.

“Little things. Small details,” Fernandez said of the changes between the V4’s Misano debut and its second outing in Malaysia. 

“But now we are discovering that we need a chassis - or the same chassis but with more possibilities to play. That’s the main thing.”

Some of the current chassis settings are already maxed out, limiting setup options.

“It’s a completely new bike, but the base is the same as the standard bike to allow us to understand,” he explained.

“So we finished with the chassis and the positions, so we need more space. That’s the plan for the next test and races.

“We need to keep working on what we saw here and in Misano, and we need [to find] the balance of the bike. We are still unbalanced.

“Maybe for Valencia, we will have something in the direction we discovered. I’m sure we will arrive, but it will take a bit of time.

“The only thing is we don’t have time, and if we want to be ready for the next race, we need to accelerate a little bit the development process.

“But the good thing is that there is a clear direction to follow now, and we need to keep working hard.”

Fernandez qualified 23rd and last at Sepang before finishing 19th in the Sprint and 18th in the grand prix.

As at Misano, the V4 remained at the bottom of the speed charts, a situation Fernandez doesn’t expect to change in Valencia.

“One of the main topics is the engine. I would like to have something more similar to what it’s going to be,” he said.

Asked if the bike would run at full power for the Valencia finale, the Spaniard replied: “No. Not in Valencia.”

With just four months to go until the 2026 season opener at Buriram, Fernandez admits the clock is ticking.

“Now we are far, but if we go in the right direction, [using] the data that we analysed… In Valencia, we will confirm, then after that, I will say if we will be ready or not [for 2026].”

Yamaha has yet to officially confirm that the V4 will replace its current Inline4 machine in MotoGP next season, during the final year of 1000cc engine rules.

The factory's full-time MotoGP riders will next try the V4 during the official Valencia post-race test.