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During the "Por Orejas" podcast organized by our colleagues at Motorsport Network, Alex Rins perhaps let slip a not insignificant detail about the development work being carried out by Yamaha. In fact, the Spaniard candidly admitted that the Japanese manufacturer would have liked to debut the new V4 engine for the M1 as early as this time at Jerez, taking advantage of the track already being used by KTM with the test team and Dani Pedrosa with Pol Espargarò.
However, the engine has evidently not been approved to go on the track already, so it will be necessary to wait further. But the reality is that at this point we know that we will certainly see this engine on the track well before the start of the 2024 season. According to declarations made by Yamaha people in recent weeks, however, we would at the very least have to wait until mid-2025 for this debut, which will not just regard the powertrain, but rather a completely redesigned M1.
Bartolini has said it on several occasions, developing a V4 engine does not mean having to 'only' design a new engine. In fact, it is necessary to build an entire bike suitable for that engine, with dimensions and measurements profoundly different from those of the M1 powered by the inline-4. But at this point is it safe to assume that Yamaha even wants to run perhaps only Quartararo and Rins on the M1 powered by the V4?
It would be a fight against time, and it would certainly be a process so fast that it would risk driving the Japanese engineers crazy, who are for sure open to change, but certainly disinclined to send a bike that has not yet been tested down to the most minute of details to the race track. We just have to wait to know the answer, but we certainly know that designing, developing and racing a prototype for only one season would be crazy. Yet 2026 will be the last year under the current technical regulations. Instead, it would make more sense for Yamaha to run with the V4 right away, and then be ready and with enough knowledge of the engine to be able to 'upscale' it in the new technical regulations from 2027.
