Almost one year to the day that Yamaha confirmed the company was developing a V4 engine for MotoGP, we'll see it in action. We found out for sure that the engine was in development in September 2024, and we'll see it in action during the San Marino race weekend in Misano this September, piloted by Augusto Fernández, Yamaha's Factory Racing MotoGP test rider.
Fernández, the former Moto2 Champion and full-time MotoGP rider, has been at the helm of this project since he joined Yamaha as an official test rider in January. But the road to the track for Yamaha's V4 has been anything but smooth.
There was a point in 2024 when we thought we wouldn't see the V4 in action until the MotoGP ruleset changes came into effect in 2027, and for most, including Fabio Quartararo, that was just too damn long to stay uncompetitive. Suddenly, the talk surrounding the V4 changed from whether we'd see it compete in 2027 to whether we might see it before the summer break in 2025, and that we'd certainly get a taste of it in action before the end of this season.
