P1racenews AI automatic summary:
What Yamaha improved in the 2025 MotoGP season, and where it still has to work in 2026.
Yamaha has not won a MotoGP race since Fabio Quartararo’s victory at the 2022 German Grand Prix, despite showing progress after solving their tire temperature generation issue in 2025.
Fabio Quartararo’s five pole positions in 2025 demonstrated Yamaha’s improvement in qualifying, which was attributed to the team’s ability to heat the tires effectively and gain more grip.
Yamaha’s Technical Director mentioned Quartararo’s familiarity with the YZR-M1 has helped him work around the bike’s weakness in straight line speed, allowing for continuous development.
Unfortunately, Yamaha still struggles with race performance, as evidenced by Quartararo’s solitary podium at Jerez and their challenges in maintaining grip as the tires degrade.
The team is working on adjusting Quartararo’s riding style to better manage tire wear during races, aiming to improve their competitiveness on Sundays and achieve more consistent results.
Overall, Yamaha is making strides in certain aspects, such as tire management and qualifying performance, but acknowledges the need for further improvements to be consistently competitive at the highest level of MotoGP.
