Yamaha‘s technical director, Max Bartolini, has confirmed that the factory has officially started testing its V4-powered MotoGP machine. However, he emphasized that a switch from the current Inline4 engine will only be considered if the V4 package proves to deliver a clear performance advantage.
“The V4 engine will be on next year’s bike if the V4 engine with the V4 bike is faster than the current Inline bike,” Bartolini said in a video interview with MotoGP.com.
While Bartolini did not confirm whether the V4 engine was part of this week’s private Valencia test, which featured riders Cal Crutchlow and Augusto Fernandez, he stressed that development remains in its early stages.
“We have started to test the V4 engine,” Bartolini explained. “Testing it with the official riders will depend on how the development progresses. If the bike is ready, we will introduce it as soon as possible.”
He further noted that developing both an engine and bike takes time, and the team is still in the early phases of development. “At the moment, we don’t have the ability to make a proper performance comparison,” he said. “But as soon as possible, we will make that comparison and continue with the faster of the two bikes.”
Yamaha’s current M1 engine showed strong performance in recent tests, with Fabio Quartararo securing a front-row starting position in qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix before finishing fifth and seventh in the races.