Yamaha is holding dialogue with Tech3 outcast Augusto Fernandez to add him to an expanded MotoGP test team in 2025, Motosport.com can reveal.
The Japanese marque has been speeding up the development of its MotoGP bike in order to bridge the gap to its European rivals and especially Ducati, which is increasingly pulling away from the rest of the competitors.
First, it recruited a whole host of engineers and technicians from the Borgo Panigale marque, and then convinced 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo to sign a new multi-year contract through to 2026.
Having since added Pramac as a satellite team from 2025 in order to field four bikes on the grid, it has now turned its attention to the test team, which has been held back this year by the injury of Cal Crutchlow.
The British rider has been out of action for quite a while due to pain in his hand, which required surgery to fix, limiting Yamaha’s potential to make the most out of MotoGP’s new concession system.
Crutchlow was also forced to miss his home grand prix last week, which he had been due to compete in as a wildcard, dealing an additional blow to Yamaha’s hopes.
This has prompted the manufacturer to look for a second rider within its test team who could work alongside veteran Crutchlow next year.
"We want to strengthen the test team and sign a rider, but we are not thinking about a veteran or a retired rider. We want a young man who wants to do a lot of laps and we can make the most of the testing that the concessions allow us,” Maio Meregalli, Yamaha's sporting director, told Motorsport.com at Silverstone.
"That does not mean that we will not have Crutchlow, who will continue to be part of the team and will return to action when he recovers.”
Yamaha’s first option is believed to be the young Remy Garnder, who competes with the Iwata-based brand in the World Superbike Championship and replaced Crutchlow as its wildcard entrant in the British GP.
He ended up substituting for full-timer Alex Rins after the Spaniard withdrew from the weekend due to lingering injuries from his crash in the Dutch GP at the end of June.
The problem is that the Australian is not much in favour of becoming a full-time test rider, although Yamaha has not completely ruled out undergoing further negotiations with him in order to convince him for that role.
While a final decision is awaited on Gardner, the Japanese marque has revealed that it is also holding conversations with 2022 Moto2 champion Fernandez, who is currently in the second season with the GasGas-branded Tech3 team in MotoGP.
Having not been retained by the wider KTM group, the Spaniard does not have a place on the 2025 grid, and his options in WSBK are also limited.
Yamaha is understood to have offered him the chance to remain in the MotoGP paddock next year as a test rider - an opportunity that could include five-to-six wildcard outings depending upon Crutchlow’s recovery.
Fernandez, 26, himself admitted that he was holding dialogue with Yamaha about a testing role for 2025.
"We are talking to them. If nothing appears in this paddock or in SBK, which is difficult, it is a good exit for me,” he told Motorsport.com. “I’m always thinking about an opportunity to grow as a rider to return to a full-time team in the future.”
