Guevara, Triumph engine under scrutiny: Pramac Yamaha demands “clear answers” after Qatar retirement

The retirement in Lusail did not come out of the blue. Pramac Yamaha is speaking out after the technical failure that stopped Izan Guevara in the Moto2 Qatar GP: team manager Alex de Angelis is demanding explanations, while the Spanish rider reveals that problems with the Triumph engine’s injection system had already been reported in Sepang, yet nothing was replaced.

The impact on the standings is significant. Guevara, who is expected to move up to MotoGP next season, arrived in Qatar just 3.5 points behind leader Manuel Gonzalez and left 13.5 points adrift. On Sunday, in the race won by Holgado, it was the Intact GP rider who struck the decisive blow, as we reported in Moto2 Qatar, Holgado wins but González strikes the decisive blow: Guevara retires, first match point in Portimão.

The weekend got off to a bad start: a penalty after qualifying dropped Guevara to tenth on the grid. During the race, he worked his way up to seventh, two places behind Gonzalez, before losing ground and stopping on lap 14 of 18 aboard his Boscoscuro, powered by a Triumph triple. According to figures reported by Crash.net, this was his first non-score since the 2025 Japanese GP.

The rider explained the failure to the media: "From the second metre onwards, we didn’t have much speed on the straights, which was strange because we’re usually very fast there." Then came the final blow: "With four laps to go, I started downshifting as I entered Turn 1, the gearbox locked up, and I couldn’t continue."

The most troubling issue concerns what happened beforehand. "The injection system failed at the end, but I could already tell from the start that it wasn’t working properly. My team spoke with Triumph in the days leading up to the race because it had already failed during FP2 in Sepang. We discussed the problem, but in the end they didn’t replace the injection system," Guevara said.

De Angelis backed up his rider’s account: "We had already been experiencing a lack of engine performance since the previous Grand Prix, and I had been discussing it with the relevant parties since Friday". According to the team manager, the data showed that Guevara was already losing ground on the straights before the bike stopped. "We’re not interested in pointing fingers, but we need clear answers," he added, calling on "those responsible to take responsibility".

Guevara, a winner at the Red Bull Ring, Motegi and Mandalika, put a figure on the problem: "For three consecutive weekends, we’ve been about five kilometres per hour slower than the other riders, even when slipstreaming." It was an unusual situation, because the engine showed no obvious signs of a fault, leaving no immediate fix to apply.

Despite the setback, the Spaniard is not giving up: "It’s not our fault; I think we’ve done an enormous amount of work throughout the Asian leg. We’re only 13.5 points behind the leader, so nothing is lost." Two circuits remain, starting with Portimão, where Gonzalez will have his first match point. For Guevara, the first priority will be having an engine that can deliver.

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