**”Yamaha’s Bold MotoGP Revolution: Beyond the V4 Engine Transformation”**

Why Yamaha’s Alleged Major MotoGP Overhaul Goes Beyond Just an Engine Change

The speculated move towards V4 engine development by Yamaha aims to enhance its standing in the MotoGP rankings. However, the real game-changer lies in the transformation of their mindset.

The announcement that Repsol will terminate its 30-year title sponsorship with the factory Honda team at the end of the 2024 season highlights a significant shift in MotoGP's power dynamics during the 2020s.

An empire that once dominated, Repsol's departure coincides with Honda experiencing perhaps its lowest point in the premier class. Remarkably, only five years ago, Honda celebrated a world championship through one of the most commanding performances ever by rider Marc Marquez. This starkly underscores the extent of the decline for the Japanese manufacturers.

Honda's only victory last year came from Alex Rins at COTA, marking the last triumph for the remaining Japanese manufacturers. This number dwindled from three to two following Suzuki's unexpected departure at the close of 2022. Meanwhile, Yamaha hasn't recorded any race wins since 2022, signaling a clear shift in dominance from Japanese to European brands.

Since late 2022, Ducati has been incredibly dominant. In 2023, it secured victory in all but three grand prix races, clinching a second world championship title with Francesco Bagnaia. Except for Aprilia's win at the Circuit of the Americas this year, Ducati has consistently remained at the top of the podium.

At the same time, Honda and Yamaha are making a concerted effort to utilize the allowances they received late last year, aiming to climb back up in the rankings.

Up to this point, neither has been able to secure a podium finish (Quartararo briefly held third place before receiving a penalty at the Jerez sprint, a position he gained due to several crashes ahead of him). On average, Yamaha has been 25.168 seconds behind the leader in each grand prix this year, whereas Honda’s average gap is significantly larger at 33.229 seconds.

Yamaha has performed slightly better than Honda in 2024. The company from Iwata has managed to secure a spot in the top 10 on four occasions during Sunday races. In contrast, Honda, despite having more riders, has not yet achieved a top 10 finish.

Starting next year, Yamaha will collaborate with Pramac Racing to feature riders Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller. Yamaha has chosen to assemble a seasoned team at Paolo Campinoti’s squad, joining factory riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, in order to speed up the development of its motorcycle for the 2025 season.

Both Yamaha and Honda have been taking advantage of the concession benefits to conduct in-season testing with their race riders. However, Yamaha appears to be producing more components to introduce during grand prix weekends.

Although there haven't been significant improvements, several new updates to the engine, aerodynamics, and chassis have delivered minor enhancements. Honda, which appeared to make substantial progress with the RC213V during last year's Valencia test, soon discovered that their 2024 design concept was ineffective after just a few races.

Since then, it has been going in circles, and the anticipated major redesign of the bike for the Misano test last Monday did not appear to happen.

"This Misano test didn't go as planned," remarked Mir, expressing his disappointment with the limited advancements of the RC213V. In contrast, Luca Marini praised the new aerodynamic fairing, although that appeared to be the sole highlight.

Yamaha, on the other hand, didn't have any new components to test since they had already assessed various items during private testing sessions. Quartararo and Rins both expressed satisfaction with the direction of the chassis. Additionally, a 2025 prototype engine, which Rins used during the Aragon race where he achieved his best finish of the season in ninth place, was set aside for the San Marino GP. This engine had provided Rins with an improvement in race pace by approximately 0.5 to 0.7 seconds.

The reasons behind why it wasn't used again at Misano are unclear, and it's uncertain if we'll see that engine in the future. However, the comment from the Misano test was intriguing, especially in light of reports from es.motorsport.com indicating that Yamaha is well along in developing its first V4 engine in the modern era.

Yamaha distinguishes itself by being the sole manufacturer to utilize an inline-four-cylinder engine, whereas all other brands employ V4 engines. This has been a consistent approach for Yamaha throughout the modern era of four-stroke engines, even as the company's performance has waned in recent years.

Simply put, an inline-four engine lacks the power of a V4 engine. However, its slimmer profile offers greater versatility in frame design, resulting in motorcycles with more agile handling. This trait was also evident in Suzuki's MotoGP bikes that used inline-four engines.

This year, Yamaha's riders, especially Quartararo, have expressed concerns that the M1 isn't managing as well as it once did. Although it has less power compared to its competitors, the Yamaha typically stayed competitive due to its excellent handling and grip. With this no longer being true, reconsidering the engine strategy doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

Leading the transition to a V4 engine is Luca Marmorini, who has been consulting for Yamaha on their engines since 2022. Marmorini, who previously served as an engine chief for both Toyota and Ferrari in Formula 1, has succeeded in boosting the M1's power as requested. However, this increase in power has not significantly improved the M1's current issues with rear grip and turning.

The timing of this change aligns with MotoGP's transition to 850cc engines starting in 2027. Ideally, if Yamaha can equip its bike with a V4 engine by 2025 and optimize its development, it should have an advantage when the new regulations take place in 2027. Additionally, a speculated freeze on engine development for the remainder of the current regulation cycle could benefit Yamaha, as long as it does not lose certain allowances due to better performance.

Should Yamaha transition to a V4 engine next season, it won't immediately propel them to the top rankings. However, this shift in approach indicates a real willingness to move away from the traditionally rigid Japanese mindset, which has often been cited as the cause for both Yamaha and Honda's decline in MotoGP standings.

The involvement of Marmorini as a consultant suggested this move, along with the recruitment of Max Bartolini from Ducati to serve as Yamaha's technical head. However, these steps would have been ineffective without proactive decisions from the leadership in Iwata. In comparison, Honda had Kalex create a chassis for them last year, which was swiftly rejected by their riders, leading to the termination of their relationship with the brand.

By changing its traditional engine design, Yamaha is also creating opportunities to explore new directions it might have previously avoided. This shift is crucial for advancing their motorcycles. It has become evident that Yamaha cannot surpass Ducati by sticking to its old methods. Additionally, achieving success will require Yamaha to be willing to face some failures as it ventures into unfamiliar territory.

Acknowledging this fact, however, is the initial major stride towards returning to the podium…

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