Yamaha “have to decide” on V4 MotoGP engine in 2025

Yamaha’s recent announcement that it is developing a V4 MotoGP engine presents two very different paths for the Japanese manufacturer, but soon it will have to choose one to follow.

Since Suzuki left MotoGP at the end of 2022, Yamaha has been the only manufacturer left to use an inline-four-cylinder engine, while the rest of the grid uses V4s.

Given Yamaha’s lack of success in recent years — it is without a victory of any kind since Fabio Quartararo won the 2022 German Grand Prix — it is a straightforward point to make that it should make the switch to a V4 as soon as possible.

However, Yamaha’s MotoGP technical director Max Bartolini — who moved to the Iwata brand last winter from Ducati — explained that it’s not as simple a change as taking one engine out and replacing it with another.

“When you think about the V4 engine you have to think not only about the engine,” Bartolini explained when talking to MotoGP.com.

“Having a V4 engine means you have to build a completely different bike. So, different chassis, different weight distribution, different parts on the bike.

“But we have no idea if it’s faster or not at the moment. So, we have to build the engine, build the bike, check if it’s faster, and then decide.

“We have to decide in 2025, and I hope to have the information to decide in 2025.”

Despite the ongoing engine debate, Bartolini is sure that Yamaha can make progress in the short-term.

“Our target is to be as competitive as possible,” he said. “I have in mind to see something better at the end of next year and to be a little bit closer in 2026 — that would be wonderful, the best option that I can imagine.

“But, you have to think that the others, they don’t stop working, they work very hard and they keep pushing very hard. So, you don’t just have to recover, you need to speed up more than them, so that makes the time long.”

The other complication for Yamaha in developing a V4 engine and deciding if it’s a path worth pursuing is the proximity of the 2027 rule change.

“2027 is getting here,” Bartolini said. “In any case, we cannot keep developing many parallel projects — it’s very time- and effort-consuming.

“So, we should decide soon. We will stay on the faster package, doesn’t matter which.”

Developing the YZR-M1

Aside from the question of the engine, Yamaha also has the task of improving several other areas of its YZR-M1 currently.

Strong results from Fabio Quartararo throughout the recent run of flyaway races suggests that progress is being made, and Bartolini suggests that a part of that progress is down to the meshing of Japanese and European cultures.

“I’ve been eight times in Japan now, because I try to go as many times as possible,” he said.

“So far, every time I discover something new: ‘When was this, what is this?’ Maybe I need years to adjust completely.

“The good part is that the racing people are very similar, so at the end you have a similar target.

“The adaptation is on both sides because I think also they need to get adjusted to myself, because they didn’t have a ‘technical director’ before.

“I think it’s true what they say: they think 10 times to make one thing, and we Europeans make 10 things thinking just one time. If we will be able to change the approach on the racing, use the mix of the two cultures, I think we can get a good compromise.”

He added: “I think we are getting a little bit closer to the competitors, the bike is not too bad. We have to improve the bike in many areas, and I think this is why the task is so difficult.

“If you have something that doesn’t work, you fix that and it’s okay; but if you have many small areas to improve, you need a lot of [work] and a lot of time to improve. But I think so far we are on the right path because I think at least we understood what we have to do. Now, finding a way to do it is difficult.”

All change bar the riders

On the surface, with the continuation with the inline-four engine and the same rider line-up in the factory team, little is changing at Yamaha in 2025.

On the other hand, it is all but confirmed that Augusto Fernandez will join Yamaha as its official MotoGP test rider, and two more M1s will be on the grid from next year as the Pramac team becomes Yamaha’s first satellite team since 2022.

“We already changed a lot the way we work, we try to change the way to work, the structure, the organisation, so [...]  I think it’s not bad to keep [the same riders],” Bartolini said.

“It will help for sure, and plus we will have two new riders [Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira] so we will have fresh comments and fresh opinions.

“So, I think doing like this can be a good mix. We are the only [manufacturer] that has just two riders; next season with four riders it can help a little bit.”

On the incoming Pramac riders, Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller, Bartolini said: “I haven’t worked with Miguel [Oliveira], but I worked with Jack [Miller].

“Jack is normally very fast, I think in his whole career he didn’t get the real speed that he has, because he’s very fast. So, hopefully here we find a good place for him, and for Miguel as well.”