Yamaha launches V4-powered M1 for 2026 MotoGP season

Yamaha embraces V4 power as it begins a crucial chapter in its MotoGP history this year

Yamaha has unveiled an all-new V4-powered MotoGP for the 2026 season, as it makes a final push to return to competitiveness under the current regulations cycle.

Factory riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins travelled to Jakarta on Wednesday to launch the new M1, which retains Yamaha’s signature blue and black livery.

Having been the only manufacturer to run an inline four-cylinder engine in MotoGP, the switch brings Yamaha into technical alignment with Honda, Ducati, Aprilia and KTM and ensures greater parity across the grid.

The Iwata-based brand has spent more than a year developing its new V4 motor, whose dimensions required a complete redesign of the bike.

Test rider Augusto Fernandez completed several wildcard outings with the V4-spec M1 towards the end of the 2025 season, while Quartararo and Rins also got the opportunity to sample the new bike during testing.

While initial reaction from riders was mixed, Yamaha confirmed on the eve of November’s Valencia season finale that it will switch to the V4 bike in 2026, just one year before the introduction of new 850cc engine rules in MotoGP.

Yamaha will be hoping that the move to V4 power will help revive its flagging fortunes in MotoGP. Despite making a reasonable step forward last year, it slipped to the bottom of the manufacturers’ championship, as homegrown rival Honda made an even bigger leap with the RC213V.

Yamaha also needs to hit the ground running with its new bike to reassure star rider Quartararo that it can be competitive again in MotoGP.

With the rider market moving quickly, Quartararo has already warned that he may be forced to look elsewhere if he loses faith in the project.

Yamaha is heavily dependent on the Frenchman, who scored 201 out of the team’s tally of 269 points last year and finished ninth in the riders’ standings. Quartararo’s contribution to Yamaha is highlighted by the fact that he scored more points than all other M1 riders combined, including Pramac duo Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira.

On the other side of the factory garage, Rins’ two-year contract with Yamaha also expires after 2026, and the Spaniard needs a big season after failing to finish a race higher than seventh last year.

With Honda moving to Group C, Yamaha will be the only manufacturer to get the most generous testing and development concessions under the regulations in 2026.

While turning around its MotoGP programme in 2026 is vital, Yamaha has also begun testing its 850cc for the next rule cycle. It is understood that the Italian manufacturer discretely ran its 2027 challenger at its private facility in Iwata in mid-December.