MotoGP
Yamaha's development of V4 engine for MotoGP bike in advanced state
Yamaha is the only MotoGP manufacturer still running inline four-cylinder engines
Oriol Puigdemont
Edited: Sep 11, 2024, 8:33 AM
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Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Yamaha's development of a new V4 engine for its MotoGP bike is in an advanced state, Motorsport.com has learned.
Yamaha has not publicly acknowledged that it is working on a change to its engine concept, which currently consists of an inline four-cylinder unit.
The only references in this regard have been the very vague answers given by team riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins to questions from journalists.
"Yamaha must take into account all the engine concepts," said the French rider recently, without revealing any more details.
However, a company source confirmed to Motorsport.com last weekend at Misano that the project was not only on track, but moving forward at a quick pace.
Yamaha hired Luca Marmorini, a highly experienced racing engineer who previously worked in Formula 1 with Ferrari and Toyota, as an external consultant a couple of years ago.
After his time in single-seaters, the Italian was instrumental in optimising the performance and increasing the reliability of Aprilia's power unit in MotoGP.
After signing with Yamaha in 2022, Marmorini had already warned internally of the need to consider moving away from the inline four-cylinder nature of the engine to the V4 configuration.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The Japanese manufacturer, which in the 500cc era of the 1980s did run a V4 variant, is the only one to retain the inline-four profile.
Motorsport.com understands that Yamaha wants to put a 1000cc V4 on track before the mandatory 850cc engine comes into play in 2027.
Since the start of the year, thanks to the flexibility offered by the concession system, both Quartararo and Rins have been testing different engine specifications, although none have delivered the expected results.
With the arrival of Max Bartolini, Gigi Dall'Igna's former right-hand man at Ducati, as technical director at the beginning of the year, Yamaha is in the midst of a transformation phase that aims to recover the competitiveness of a bike that was champion in 2021 with Quartararo.
In 2025, Yamaha will once again have a satellite team after the agreement signed with Pramac earlier this year.
In addition, the marque is also hoping to secure the services of Augusto Fernandez as a test rider, given the physical problems affecting current tester Cal Crutchlow.
Andrea Dovizioso, who recently replaced the Briton in a private test at Misano, could also join the project to help restore the competitiveness of the M1.
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