Jack Miller: Yamaha “tried everything” to make inline-four MotoGP bike work

Pramac’s Jack Miller says “the ceiling will be a whole heap higher” on Yamaha’s V4, as it “tried everything” with the inline-four and “the same issues were arriving”.

Yamaha announced last weekend that it was officially retiring its long-standing inline-four M1, with which it won eight riders’ titles in MotoGP since 2002.

It presses on with development of its new V4, which raced three times in 2025 with Augusto Fernandez, with its race riders testing it on Tuesday at Valencia.

While it is hoped the V4 will help Yamaha get back towards the front of the grid in 2026, Jack Miller has played down there being any sudden steps over the next few months.

However, he believes Yamaha had to move onto the V4 because it exhausted all options with the inline-four and couldn’t fix its problems.

“It’s another step on the journey,” he told the MotoGP world feed on Tuesday morning.

“If there were a golden ticket, these manufacturers would be buying it because they are essentially spending hundreds of millions in development of these motorcycles, all in the hope of making them better.

“So, if we can take that next step, if we can be somewhat on par with the motorcycle we ended this season with… I think with the V4, we feel like we reached the ceiling, especially with this tyre combination, with this motorcycle that we currently have.

“Whatever we tried, the same issues were arriving.

“And trust me, they tried everything. With the V4, if we can start somewhat par, I believe the ceiling will be a whole heap higher.”

The inline-four last won a grand prix in 2022, while Yamaha finished last in the manufacturers' table this season.

Yamaha’s move to the V4 is also seen as its last-ditch attempt to convince Fabio Quartararo to remain in the fold beyond next season.

However, he said last weekend that he has “no time” to wait for the V4 project to get competitive as he considers his future.