Alarm at Yamaha: mysterious problem with the new V4

The Yamaha garage remains closed on the second day of MotoGP testing in Sepang. Fabio Quartararo’s absence had already been announced, but not those of Alex Rins, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jack Miller, as well as test riders Andrea Dovizioso and Augusto Fernandez. The reason is a technical issue that has forced the engineers to hit the brakes to avoid further damage to the M1’s new V4 engine.

On the first day of testing in Malaysia, Yamaha had to deal with Quartararo’s crash, which resulted in a broken finger. ‘El Diablo’ suffered a mechanical failure on his bike that forced Iwata’s technicians to immediately launch an investigation. Not being entirely sure what went wrong, they decided to keep all their riders at the hotel or in the garage until they figure out the problem.

Max Bartolini, the Yamaha technical guru recruited from Ducati, tried to offer an explanation on Sky Sport MotoGP. "We have an idea of what the problem might be, but for the riders’ safety, we decided to understand exactly what’s happening before they go back on track. That’s why we chose not to ride today and to keep looking for the cause. We hope to find a solution so we can ride tomorrow."

The situation is quite complex because Yamaha has bet on the new V4 engine after abandoning the classic inline-four. Losing a full day of MotoGP testing is a hard blow for the House of the Three Tuning Forks. The engineers are in constant contact with the factories in Japan and Italy, sending data and waiting for a response that will give them the green light. Max Bartolini is trying to stay calm. "What we need to find out is what caused it. We have a suspicion, but we need confirmation from the factory."

On the second day of testing, the Yamaha riders were supposed to focus on race pace and setup. It was time to start pushing, but instead they stayed in the garage. The MotoGP season will begin in a few weeks and, if Yamaha can’t get back on track tomorrow, they will arrive at the starting line with serious doubts about the engine’s reliability. "We need time to adapt to the new bike and learn... But it’s part of the game."