Fabio Quartararo pushes for Yamaha V4, blames gap to rivals on engine

Fabio Quartararo is the only rider who has been able to consistently challenge Marc Marquez in the battle for pole positions this season. The Frenchman set the fastest qualifying lap at Jerez, Le Mans, Silverstone and Assen, while championship leader Marquez has started from pole on seven occasions. The only other rider to sit on pole has been Pecco Bagnaia, last time out in the Czech Republic.

That consistency and one-lap speed from the Yamaha rider haven’t translated into race results, however. His only podium this season came when he took second in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

After another disappointment in the Czech Republic – where he qualified on the front row (third) but could only finish sixth, 11 seconds behind the winner – Quartararo reflected on how helpless he felt against an increasing number of rivals.

At Brno he was beaten by two Ducatis, two Aprilias and one KTM – and it could have been two KTMs if Enea Bastianini hadn’t crashed while running in a podium position. Quartararo blames that disadvantage on the engine. While Yamaha’s current M1 runs a four-cylinder inline engine, its three European rivals use V4 engines.

“I’m not sure, because I’m not an engineer and I’ve never tested a V4, but Ducati has one chassis, KTM another and Aprilia [a third] – all different,” he reflected. “And what I see is that we have the same weaknesses compared to those bikes. So I understand that [the problem] is related to the engine.

“[The three manufacturers] have completely different chassis from each other, but the problems for us are the same,” he insisted. “There’s only one thing they all have in common: the engine,” he said, referring to the V4s.

In September 2024, Motorsport.com revealed that Yamaha had started working on a new V4 engine to replace the current one. Development is progressing, with on-track tests recently conducted by test riders Augusto Fernandez and Andrea Dovizioso.

While there was initially talk of introducing the new engine in the second half of 2025, its debut has now been pushed back to 2026 – but only if it proves it can perform better than the current version.

The 2021 world champion is keeping up his policy of putting pressure on the manufacturer, but he knows results don’t come overnight. That’s why he’s also asking it to keep improving the current M1, as he sees a clear deficiency.

“Grip. That’s what we’re missing. In fact, the exit of the corners isn’t so bad – the initial part isn’t bad – but what’s lacking is grip under braking and corner entry. That’s something that really penalises us.”

Poles are not enough

The French star renewed with Yamaha in April 2024 for two more seasons, but he’s not willing to keep trusting the Iwata factory unless he sees clear signs of progress. He feels he is wasting the best years of his career. Despite the four poles this season, Quartararo hasn’t won a race since Germany 2022 – more than three years ago.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, wins the 2022 German GP

Photo by: Dorna

At Silverstone in May, he experienced a cruel moment when he was leading the race by a comfortable margin and his Yamaha suffered a mechanical failure that left him stranded.

Poles are simply not enough for the Frenchman. He doesn’t understand how he can be so strong over a single lap, yet unable to attempt a single overtake in race conditions.

“I have no idea why that happens. When I’m riding alone, I find my rhythm, I can push my riding, go closer to the limit, but when I’m in a group, I lose a lot – the rear end, the power, the aerodynamics, overall performance.”

But he concluded with a message of hope: “We’re working hard to correct these issues.”

Time will tell if that is enough for Yamaha to retain him.