Yamaha Unveils V4 YZR-M1 for 2026 MotoGP Season

Yamaha unveiled its new V4-powered YZR-M1 motorcycle for the 2026 MotoGP season on Wednesday in Jakarta, Indonesia, marking a significant technical shift for the Japanese manufacturer as it seeks to regain competitiveness before upcoming regulation changes. Factory riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins attended the launch event, where the team showcased the updated bike retaining its signature blue and black livery, now accented with additional white and more blue on the front fairing.

The redesign stems from Yamaha's decision to abandon its longstanding inline-four-cylinder engine, the only one of its kind in MotoGP, in favor of a V4 configuration used by rivals Honda, Ducati, Aprilia, and KTM. This change, developed over more than a year at Yamaha's Iwata headquarters, necessitated a complete overhaul of the bike's chassis to accommodate the new motor's dimensions. Visual updates include new front wings, a revised tail shape, and a relocated exhaust pipe that routes upward along the tail section, replacing the short slash-cut design of previous models.

Test rider Augusto Fernandez first raced the V4 prototype in wildcard appearances toward the end of the 2025 season, including...