Yamaha’s MotoGP season focused on “long-term strategy, not quick fixes”

While Honda enters the closing rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season on course to lose D concession status, Yamaha has slipped behind its arch-rival for last in the constructors’ standings.

Mathematically, it’s well within Yamaha’s hands to overturn Honda’s 45-point advantage, with a potential 74 constructors' points still available at Portimao and Valencia.

Realistically, Yamaha’s best scoring weekends of the season have yielded only 20 points. And they’ve lost ground to Honda at all but two rounds since the summer break.

Alongside the current Inline machine, Yamaha has been developing a new V4 prototype, which will make its third wild-card appearance at the Valencia finale.

"As we approach the final two rounds of the 2025 season, it's important to reiterate that this year we primarily focused on bike development,” said Monster Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli.

“The changes we are implementing are part of a long-term strategy and not quick fixes.

“Moreover, achieving the level of performance we aspire to requires sustained effort and time. That said, both the team and Yamaha remain fully committed and highly motivated to pursue improvements at every opportunity.

“Fabio [Quartararo] and Alex [Rins] continue to receive our full support as we work together towards progress. These upcoming race weekends will be particularly valuable, providing us with a chance to validate key findings ahead of the transition into 2026 testing."

Meregalli’s comments come amid growing pressure from former world champion Fabio Quartararo, who has repeatedly underlined the need for a competitive package if he is to extend his Yamaha contract beyond 2026.

"I need to feel that it’s a winning bike and that I can fight for top 3, top 5 in every single session, every single Sprint, and every single GP," he said.

Quartararo ended Yamaha’s long podium drought at Jerez earlier this year and was on course for victory at Silverstone, alongside five pole positions. 

But the Frenchman enters Portimao just ninth in the world championship, four points behind rookie Fermin Aldeguer.

"We're back in Europe for the last two rounds, and Portimao is up next. It's a pretty unique track with all the elevation changes, and it's definitely different from the circuits we've raced at lately,” said Quartararo, who won at the Portuguese track in 2021 and 2022.

“So, I'm curious to see how the bike handles here and how the tyres hold up this weekend. I really like this circuit, so we'll do our best. As always, I'm giving it my 100%, and hopefully we can end this season with some good results over the next two weeks."

Honda will move up to C concession ranking, alongside Aprilia and KTM, if it finishes the season with at least 35% of the maximum constructors’ points total, or 285 points.

Honda is currently just 19 points short of that mark, on 266 points, with Yamaha scoring 221.