Team Profile
Championship tradition and Japanese-Italian cooperation
Yamaha’s MotoGP works team is owned directly by the manufacturer. The current Yamaha Motor Racing organisation was established in 1999 and subsequently consolidated European operations in Italy, based at Gerno di Lesmo near Monza. Bike development links Japanese and Italian teams, with racing, logistics and management also advanced through this structure.
Yamaha has enjoyed several championship eras in modern MotoGP: Valentino Rossi won in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009; Jorge Lorenzo in 2010, 2012 and 2015; and Fabio Quartararo in 2021. Understanding the team today requires considering that championship heritage alongside its current stage of bike development.
Entering the V4 era in 2026
The major change in 2026 is the Yamaha YZR-M1’s official move to a V4 engine. Yamaha developed the new platform while racing in 2025, and the official 2026 launch explicitly presented the new V4 bike. This changes the engine layout and overall development direction, going beyond an annual livery update.
Pramac also participates in Yamaha’s manufacturer racing project, together providing feedback from four full-time riders. For a new platform, viewers can assess qualifying speed, consecutive lap times and performance across circuits. A change of engine layout alone cannot predict a particular round’s result.
The 2026 line-up and management
The works riders are number 20 Fabio Quartararo and number 42 Álex Rins. Quartararo has championship-winning experience with Yamaha, while Rins brought experience with other manufacturers. Their continued partnership helps the team compare established feedback with the new bike’s characteristics.
Paolo Pavesio heads Yamaha Motor Racing and the works team, while Massimo Meregalli manages racing operations. The official launch identified learning the new bike, extracting performance and building consistency round by round as priorities for 2026, making coordination between Japanese development and Italian operations especially important.
What to watch
First assess whether the new M1 can sustain qualifying highlights over a full race, then whether all four Yamaha riders improve together at the same circuit. As viewing analysis, teammate comparisons and contrasts between the works team and Pramac offer clues. Gains across several bikes warrant continued attention; an improvement limited to one rider also needs examination of that rider’s setup and race execution.
Rider Line-up
Last checked: 1 October 2026 · Historical statistics and current points are maintained separately