Yamaha’s MotoGP team boss Lin Jarvis has finally gone on the record to confirm that the firm will switch from its inline-four engine configuration to a V4 over the coming years, as it prepares to follow the grid’s four other manufacturers and step away from what has always been a hallmark of Yamaha’s racing programme.
Yamaha became the last team to use inline fours when Suzuki withdrew from MotoGP in 2022.
It has always favoured the wider configuration for its smoother power delivery, something that has worked well with the rider-friendly Yamaha’s corner speed in particular.
However, with the explosion of aerodynamics in particular contributing to a fundamental shift in how MotoGP bikes perform in recent years, the M1 has been left behind, with its period in the doldrums increasing speculation that a shift to the faster but more aggressive V4 was eventually inevitable.
That shift has now been confirmed by Jarvis, Yamaha’s veteran team boss who will depart at the end of the season.
Speaking to MotoGP’s website at Misano on Thursday, he said the changes in the championship, as well as Suzuki’s departure, have all contributed to the significant step.
“Regarding the rumours about the V4 which we’ve read recently in the media: it’s true,” he said.
“I can confirm that we are busy developing a V4 powerplant.
“It’s something that goes back a while. When Suzuki was still here there were two manufacturers that were running with the inline four and obviously the other competitors running with the V.
“In the last years we’ve seen many, many technical developments in this sport and of course Suzuki stepped out, so we’ve been the only manufacturer remaining with the inline four and the inline four, in our opinion, still has plenty of capacity to be developed and to be improved.
“But when you have all of your competitors using V4s - and now as we look towards the 2027 new regulations - it’s important for us to fully understand the potential of a V4 versus the inline four. Based on that, some time ago we took the decision to start the project.”
The news that it’s not exactly a new project isn't a surprise either, after months of speculation, and comes amid significant changes to the team’s engineering structure that Yamaha’s last world champion Fabio Quartararo says have all laid the path for the new configuration.
“It’s quite a long time that we’ve been aware Yamaha is working on a V4,” the Frenchman explained when asked about the change by The Race.
“They are at least trying to put everything together for many months.
“We see with new people, a new mentality, the way we are working in a good one, but we cannot change it in just a few weeks.
“Right now we are finding a way to work, but the last three or four years we’ve been really far away from the European manufacturers. We are trying to catch up and I think Yamaha are doing a great job.
“Just seeing from outside, the top three manufacturers are with V4s. It’s been many years that they’re with this engine, and I’m not an engineer to say that they have to go with the V4 but for sure with all the engineers they’ve considered to move to it and for sure they’ve checked many infos to do so.”
The exact timeline for Yamaha racing its first V4 remains uncertain right now, but one thing is clear from Jarvis’ comments: the team may well have to be prepared to sacrifice at least one season’s performances in order to fully dial in its new product.
A major rule shift and reduction in capacity from 1000cc to 850cc from 2027 is, on paper, the right time for the new engine to arrive, of course - but with Yamaha’s limited experience in running a V4 race bike, Jarvis conceded that it might have to prepare for its arrival sooner than that in order to hit the ground running.
“The project is ‘on schedule’, I would say is the best way to describe it,” he added.
“I can’t describe exactly where we’re at but we are on schedule with our planning and the engine is designed.
“The engine is already being bench tested. We’ve not run it in a bike yet, it’s not the right time for that. But we’re busy developing, busy designing and when it is ready with its durability testing then we’ll finally start to track test it.
“When it’s quicker than the inline four then we’ll bring it in. One of our intentions is to anticipate and to look and to check what type of engine we need for 2027.
“But at the moment ‘27 is too far away for us so we need to start now, we need to get experience and I don’t know when you will see it racing.
“But track testing will not be so far away and based upon the developments - hopefully positive developments - maybe in the middle of next year you might see it on a track.
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us but I think with two strong teams, with two strong riders, plus a lot of very good engineers working for us, I think that we will return.”
Confirmation of Yamaha’s V4 move came on the same day its 2025 line-up was completed by its new satellite team Pramac announcing Jack Miller as its second rider for next year alongside Miguel Oliveira. The team has also been using veteran Andrea Dovizioso in tests and is close to signing current Tech3 racer Augusto Fernandez for its expanded test roster too.
