New V4 engine for Yamaha in 2026 MotoGP
Back in December of 2024, there were reports that Yamaha is exploring the possibility of going V4 and was planning on using it in the 2025 season.
The hopes for a Yamaha V4 engine in the 2025 MotoGP championship haven’t yet materialized. However, Yamaha’s engineers are continuing their work on this new engine configuration. The key factor determining its future use is performance, with the Iwata-based manufacturer stating that the V4 will only replace their tried-and-true inline four if it proves to offer a significant step forward in terms of speed and overall package.
“Next year’s bike is going to have the V4 engine if the V4 engine is faster than the actual [current inline four] bike,” said Yamaha technical director, Max Bartolini. “Testing it with the official riders depends on how the development goes. If the bike is ready, as soon as possible.”
While official Yamaha test riders Augusto Fernandez and Cal Crutchlow were spotted putting in laps at Valencia, the precise nature of their testing remains somewhat ambiguous. It’s unclear whether they were specifically evaluating the new V4 engine prototype or if their efforts were primarily directed towards refining the setup and performance of the current 2025 Yamaha MotoGP bike.
Currently, all teams in MotoGP are utilizing a V4 engine setup except for Yamaha.
