The United States GP was only the third round of the season, but it was enough to finally highlight Yamaha’s shortcomings when compared to the rest of the grid. The Japanese brand was slow to react while Ducati, KTM and Aprilia improved and, when they decided to make a move, the advantage of the European brands was evident. What’s more, even Honda, which was in the same hole as Yamaha, was able to react before those in charge at Iwata did.
Over the last few years and weekend after weekend, the shortcomings of an M1 were becoming evident, which ended up being the only motorcycle with an inline-four engine configuration and, at the same time, the one that aerodynamically took the longest to adapt to the new standards of the category.
So while the rest were evolving a competitive package, Yamaha had to decide the path to follow. Having Quartararo as a star driver and beginning to develop the V4 became key. But Fabio’s contract runs out at the end of the season, and the debut of the M1 with a V4 engine is far from returning the Japanese manufacturer and its drivers to the top positions.
Does that mean Yamaha is doing it wrong?
Looking at the results, we could think that Yamaha’s situation is the result of a mistake. But the reality is that, first, we must not lose sight of one thing: it was not taking and changing the engine to the M1, it was creating a new Yamaha M1. And that, at a time when we are at the end of the current regulation cycle, means starting with a very high bar.
But there is more and that is that, by taking the United States GP as a reference, which is the one that has made Quartararo, Rins and Razgatlioglu publicly show their disappointment, we can see how Fabio himself stopped the clock at 2.01.553 in Q1 to end up having 16th place on the grid. Well, in 2025, Quartararo with a 2.02.032 was eleventh. That is, half a second faster, five places worse. And that seems to be the general trend, because Marc Márquez’s pole last year was 2.01.088 and this year Di Giannantonio lowered it by almost a second with 2’00.136.
However, in Thailand, a different circuit than COTA, the Yamahas were evidently slower in qualifying, around three tenths. What does this mean? It is risky to say it from the outside and make comparisons after only three GPs and also in different conditions, both in Thailand and the United States, adding to the new track in Brazil. But the truth is that it gives the impression that the M1 V4 is somewhat above the level of the inline four, but it is not vastly superior. And that, at a time when the rest have evolved significantly, makes you take a step back.
Hence the resignation comments from the riders, especially two who are almost certain to not be at Yamaha next season. Álex Rins, with an uncertain future, said: “I haven’t had fun on the bike for a long time. Apart from that, I don’t know if I’ll be here next year. So I also have to find my place and the results we’re getting aren’t helping”.
To that we must add his frustration in the qualifier: “On my second outing in pre-qualifying, the bike didn’t work, I went off the line with every braking, I couldn’t take the corners, change direction or anything, and I felt useless on the bike. I said to myself: ‘What the f*ck am I doing here?’ There are times when I’m not having fun and I’m wondering: What are we doing?”
Quartararo was even tougher: “There is nothing that works. Yamaha already knows what I have asked for and I don’t want to do any more tests. What are we doing here?” In this case, the Frenchman, who knows he is out and with Honda for 2027, is increasingly transparent in his opinions on a project with which he hoped to fight for the title again.
For his part, Toprak Razgatlioglu, the latest to arrive at Yamaha and the brand’s best finisher in Austin, is a little more optimistic at the moment despite all the problems: “Yamaha is trying very hard to continue improving. We’ll see when we can take a big step forward. Maybe at the end of the year, I don’t know, maybe in the middle of the season, maybe next year. We’ll see.”
Even so, Toprak launched a dart that surely did not sit well at all: “I think it has been difficult for all the riders on this circuit because, after twelve or fourteen laps, the bike becomes heavier and heavier and looks like a GoldWing”. Then he softened with a “But, anyway, for me, having scored a point is something positive. It’s my first point.” It must be remembered that the Turkish was the best Yamaha; that says everything.
Luckily or unfortunately, as we said, we are facing an end of an era. And if there is one thing about the end of one era, it is, in turn, the beginning of the next. And perhaps that will be when the Iwata brand goes from ugly duckling to swan, but for that we will have to wait…
