Fabio Quartararo urges 2026 Yamaha V4 shift: “I never really won in a fight”

Fabio Quartararo has made clear his ambition to race Yamaha’s new V4 MotoGP machine in 2026, as the factory continues development of the much-anticipated prototype behind closed doors.

The V4 is still in its early testing phase and will only be introduced once it outperforms the present Inline4 machine. But Quartararo is already convinced that the V4 represents Yamaha’s MotoGP future.

“It’s not the first test that they made with the V4,” the 2021 world champion said on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. “But of course, now we are in a process where it’s not about performance - it’s just to see that everything is working.”

The new engine, a radical departure from Yamaha’s traditional Inline4 philosophy, was tested behind closed doors at Valencia by Cal Crutchlow and Augusto Fernandez following the Qatar Grand Prix.

However, Quartararo confirmed it was a short shakedown - “a few laps, not a full day of test” - and said meaningful feedback will only come later in the season.

Real testing set for late summer – V4 wild-card possible

While the test riders continue V4 development, Quartararo does not expect to ride the bike until much later in the year.

“Being realistic, I think that more or less every bike of next year will be testing around August, September. So I think this will be more or less the time that I will test the bike,” he explained.

For now, the Frenchman remains focused on squeezing every ounce of performance from the current Inline4 package.

Asked whether Fernandez might debut the V4 in wild-card appearances, Quartararo admitted he didn’t know Yamaha’s strategy, but made it clear he hopes they do.

“It’s always much more interesting to test something in a race weekend than in a test. Hopefully they will bring the V4 in the wild cards.”

“Already next year, for me the way is the V4" 

Quartararo revealed he hadn’t seen a picture of Yamaha’s new V4 bike at Valencia.

“To be honest, I don’t care to see the bike! The bike can be pink or whatever. Just what I want is the bike to go fast.”

But he's already confident it'll be the best choice for the start of 2026.

“Clearly from already next year for me the way is the V4. 

We are riding completely differently to the others. There's five manufacturers and four of them have the V4... Clearly we have to go with the V4. 

"And for my future, it will be really important to see how the bike is for next year.”

Why the V4 matters: “I never really won a race in a fight”

Quartararo backed up the words of team-mate Alex Rins by saying Yamaha’s current bike performs best when riding alone, but struggles in tight packs against V4 rivals from Ducati, KTM, Aprilia and Honda.

“It’s about being able to go fast in the race and to fight with the others.

“I never really won a race in a fight. Most of the races [I won] were alone. I was trying to pull away, but in the fight we are the worst, let’s say.”

Assuming Yamaha does race the 1000cc V4 next year, it would then need to modify the bike again for the new 850cc era, on Pirelli tyres, in 2027.

Aleix Espargaro: Yamaha V4 "promising"

Yamaha was not alone during their private test at Valencia, with the Honda test team of Aleix Espargaro and Stefan Bradl also on track

“I could not see anything [about the Yamaha V4], but for sure when we were sitting in the garage we [knew] when they were riding both engines because you can tell by the sound," Espargaro said.

"It’s promising. I love this game. I love seeing the Japanese manufacturers putting everything together, to be part of the game again. As a Honda rider hopefully we’re going to make it before them!"