Yamaha is set to test its newly developed V4 engine for its M1 MotoGP machine during a private test at Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Motorsport.com has confirmed. While Yamaha’s factory team riders, Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, would typically take the bike for a spin, the task will instead fall to test riders Augusto Fernandez and Cal Crutchlow.
The V4 engine, which Yamaha has been developing for several months, was originally intended to be tested by Andrea Dovizioso. However, the Italian rider is currently sidelined after breaking his collarbone in a domestic accident. This test marks the first time the V4 engine will be evaluated on a European circuit, following an earlier debut at a private test in Sepang, Malaysia. The Sepang test featured an early version of the engine, still requiring significant refinement, particularly in the electronics department.
Yamaha is the only MotoGP manufacturer still using an inline four-cylinder engine, with its riders frequently voicing concerns over a lack of top speed. In response, Yamaha’s engineers have turned to the V4 engine as a potential solution, signaling a major shift in the bike’s engine configuration. Yamaha boss Paolo Pavesio has previously stated that the V4 engine will only be introduced when it outperforms the current inline four-cylinder model. “If and when the bike with the V4 engine is better than the one we are using now, then we will introduce it,” he told Motorsport.com in February. “It is not realistic to think about making the change in 2025.”
While the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association (MSMA) imposed a freeze on MotoGP power units from the start of the 2023 season until the end of 2026, Yamaha has received special permission to continue its V4 development with the current 1000cc engine. Looking ahead, the sport is set to adopt an 850cc engine by 2027, further intensifying the importance of refining Yamaha’s V4 project.
To support this initiative, Yamaha has partnered with Marmotors, the engineering company led by Luca Marmorini, a highly regarded figure in Formula 1 engineering.
Originally, the test was scheduled for Jerez, but flooding in the area forced the temporary closure of the track, making Valencia the new location for the test. This marks the first time MotoGP prototypes will be tested at Valencia since severe floods led to the cancellation of the circuit’s usual season-ending race in 2024.