Yamaha 850cc MotoGP machine “on track soon” - “we won’t get bored!”

Yamaha’s V4 switch for the final season of the 1000cc/Michelin era means the factory will race three very different machines in three seasons, an unprecedented move in the modern MotoGP era.

2026 marks the midway stage in that process, this year’s V4 replacing the previous Inline-powered machine,

But it will only last for one season before being replaced by a new 850cc/Pirelli machine, needed for the 2027 rules.

“Last year, there was a really huge investment," Monster Yamaha team principal Massimo Meregalli told Crash.net at Wednesday’s Jakarta team launch.

"Because we were able to keep developing the old four-cylinder inline together with the new V-1000 and start designing and producing the 850,”

“So this year, we’ve moved from three parallel projects to two.

“The 850 engine is ready. We will try to go on track as soon as possible. I don't think before [another] two or three months, but everything is going in the right direction.

“For sure, at the beginning, the [850cc] engine will be tested, most likely with the current [bike] and maybe using already the 2027 aero, because many things are changing with the regulations.

“So, for sure, we won’t get bored this year.”

Although the V4-switch was made to exploit the current Michelin rubber, Meregalli said there is no chance of an Inline4 returning for the Pirelli era.

“No, because as the 2027 regulations has been written, the [best] possible engine configuration is the V,” he said. 

“That's why we anticipated by one year, to start knowing how to make the bike work with the engine [in 2026].”

Pramac’s Toprak Razgatlioglu is the only Yamaha rider so far confirmed for 2027, with Meregalli indicating they are yet to start contract discussions with star rider Fabio Quartararo.

KTM and Honda have put early versions of their 850cc MotoGP engines on track behind-closed-doors, with Ducati and Aprilia targeting a spring debut.