V4 or Inline? "We just want a faster Yamaha" - Exclusive

Yamaha insists there is no fixed timeline on when its new V4-powered M1 will be raced in MotoGP.

But senior management are clear about how the decision will be made: Performance.

“We want just to make a faster Yamaha! We honestly don’t care about engine layout,” technical director Max Bartolini told Crash.net.

While Yamaha’s four race riders focus on the latest version of the Inline machine this season, new test rider Augusto Fernandez is pencilled in to debut the V4 as a wild-card.

But only if it proves faster than the current bike.

“Still, honestly, it's very difficult to say if and when we can use the [V4] bike,” Bartolini said.

“For sure we will try as soon as possible to have the best package for Augusto.

“And if the best package is the new bike with the V4 engine, this will be the package.

“And if the best bike is the 4 Inline, we will use the 4 Inline.

“We want just to make a faster Yamaha! We honestly don’t care about engine layout.

“As we said last time we spoke, [the V4] is something that we have to evaluate.

“And the only way to evaluate this, even if it’s a big effort, is to make it and understand if it’s faster or not.”

Speaking separately, new Yamaha Racing managing director Paolo Pavesio echoed those sentiments: “A V4 is not magic. It is just an engine configuration.”

The idea that joining their MotoGP rivals on a V4 will automatically transform Yamaha’s fortunes was also quashed by star rider Fabio Quartararo: “Honda has a V4 and is struggling the same as us.”

“He can say that!” smiled Pavesio, when asked about Quartararo’s comments. “I will just say that he beat many V4s at the end of last season when he was finishing P5-P6-P7 with the Inline4.”

The additional V4 effort, which Yamaha insists has not compromised its ‘Inline’ bike development, is especially commendable given the looming introduction of 850cc MotoGP regulations.

As Pavesio recently told Crash.net, it could mean Yamaha enters three radically different machines for each of the next three years: The Inline4 in 2025, V4 in 2026 and new 850cc in 2027.

A decision is yet to be made on whether the 850cc will feature an Inline or V engine.

“As Yamaha, we had a V4 two-stroke, but we never built a V4 four-stroke,” Bartolini replied, when asked if it was exciting or stressful to oversee the creation of a brand-new MotoGP bike.

“I think the guys in Japan and YMC are doing a huge job. Especially for the designers. It’s also very busy on my side, but nothing compared to them!”

First Fernandez MotoGP wild-card at Jerez?

Fernandez, 27, has joined Yamaha’s test team after two seasons as a KTM MotoGP rider at Tech3.

The Spaniard, recently announced as replacing the injured Jonathan Rea at the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK team, is currently sharing MotoGP development duties with veteran Andrea Dovizioso.

“For us, Augusto is a mix between a test rider and a race rider,” Bartolini said. “Because the plan is six wild cards, almost one third of the championship.

“And Dovi, for his experience, is mostly a ‘test rider’. So [who is riding] depends on the items that we're going to test.

“This is why we use a combination of the two at the moment, then we’ll see when Cal comes back.”

And where will Fernandez make his Yamaha MotoGP race debut?

“I think in the program we have Jerez as his first wild-card,” Bartolini said.

The Spanish Grand Prix will be the first European round of the 2025 season, from April 25-27.

It is immediately followed by the first Official in-season MotoGP test, although the concession rules mean Yamaha and Honda can conduct private testing at any circuit with race or test riders.