New V4 Yamaha without a chance: Large gap and frustration for the four riders

– Yamaha experienced an expectedly difficult first race weekend in the 2026 MotoGP season with the new V4 prototype. As already indicated during the test sessions, the new project is not yet competitive. Yamaha is at the bottom of the premier class.

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In Buriram qualifying, Fabio Quartararo was the best Yamaha rider in 16.. His lap time was 1:29.683 minutes. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) then took pole position in Q2 with 1:28.652 minutes. Yamaha’s gap was around one second.

“We are missing about one second per lap,” Pramac rider Jack Miller looks at the reality. “So that is the base we are starting from and have to work on. This track, where everyone has tested and everyone has an ideal set-up, these are not the best conditions for us.”

Even beforehand, the Yamaha riders noted that they were “slower” than with the old but proven inline-four. Top speed is also lacking on the straights. The best measured Yamaha value was 338,5 km/h. The fastest bikes in the field reached 345,0 km/h.

In the sprint over 13 laps, Miller and Fabio Quartararo finished in 15. and 16. places. They lost 13 seconds over this distance, which again showed the gap of around one second per lap.

“We are having problems with the start this year,” Quartararo addresses another issue. “In Valencia and Sepang, the starts were very good. And here they are really, really bad. You saw it in turn one: I was last. And when you are at the back, I can’t overtake.”

The prospects for the Grand Prix didn’t look much better. Quartararo collected two championship points in 14.. Over 26 laps, the former world champion lost half a minute. Teammate Alex Rins followed directly behind in 15..

Following the race, none of the four Yamaha riders appeared for interview appointments. Instead, team director Paolo Pavesio came to the Media Center. Nevertheless, the Yamaha press department sent out statements from the riders.

Quartararo is quoted briefly and concisely as follows: “It was a tough race, but about what we expected.” And from Rins: “It was a really tough race. Managing the tires was very difficult. I gave 100 percent on every lap.”

The tires were also a problem for Miller. The Australian became slower and slower and finished 18. with a 47 second gap. Only Ducati replacement rider Michele Pirro, who stood in for Fermin Aldeguer in the Gresini team, was further back.

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“From the start I noticed,” Miller reports, “that we have a problem with the rear tire. I tried to manage it as best as possible: shifting up earlier, riding cleanly, waiting until I can pick up the bike at the corner exit.”

“But the more laps we did, the more difficult it became. In the end, the tire was completely gone in the middle, and on the straights I couldn’t use more than about a quarter throttle. That was a tough situation.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu will test privately with Andrea Dovizioso

Superbike World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu continued his so far difficult adaptation process to MotoGP. In qualifying, he took 21. on the grid. His best lap time was about half a second slower than the reference Quartararo.

In the sprint, the Turk had a slip in the final corner. He continued and finished 20.. Razgatlioglu finished his first Grand Prix in 17. with a gap of almost 40 seconds. “Of course I hoped for a better result,” says the rookie.

“But it was a long and very demanding race, 26 laps in this heat are physically really tough. We had clear problems with rear grip, especially the longer the race went on, but I don’t want to look for the blame elsewhere.”

“I know I still have a lot to learn, and at the same time we know that Yamaha is working hard to improve the package. Grip was quite limited throughout the race, and it seemed to be a typical situation for all Yamaha riders.”

After Thailand, MotoGP takes a two-week break before the teams and riders set off for the new race in Brazil. Yamaha is using this break for private test sessions in Europe to push forward the development of the new prototype.

According to information from our colleagues at GPOne.com, the test team with Andrea Dovizioso and Augusto Fernandez will be in action in Jerez (Spain) on March 11. and 12.. Razgatlioglu will also get the chance to continue his adaptation process there.

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