Yamaha MotoGP riders delivered a 1-2 finish in the shakedown test at Sepang, with factory Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo setting the fastest time, delivering a last-minute flyer on Saturday evening.
Despite race control issuing red and white flags due to light drizzle, Quartararo surpassed the 1m57.794s limit with just 10 minutes remaining.
Meanwhile, Pramac Yamaha rider Jack Miller managed a time of 1m58.103s. While other teams had their test riders conduct the three-day run on their updated MotoGP machinery, the sport's concession system allows Yamaha to use its Grand Prix riders for testing.
While the benefit is enjoyed by Honda too, its riders were unavailable for the test as they had to be present at the launch of the 2025 RC213V.
Yamaha has stuck to its inline-four engine configuration despite news of its plans to test a bike with a V4 unit. The M1 is the odd one out on the MotoGP grid, while all other manufacturers use a V4 engine.
Despite the Japanese manufacturer's plans to move to a new engine, a timeline for the switch has not been revealed yet.
While many think that a V4 engine would turn things around for Yamaha, Quartararo believes the expectations are too high. He said at the launch event of the 2025 M1:
“I think that everybody has put a lot of expectations on the V4, but I have no expectation because you can see Honda: Honda has a V4 and Honda is struggling the same as us.
“So, I don’t think this is really our main issues.
“So, we have to see, we have to check the problems and then we will figure out if we can make a step.
“But right now we are really focused on 2025 with the four inline.
“We have test riders for that [V4 testing]. I think at the end we have three of them and I think, and I’m sure, they will have time to try the V4.
“When, I have no idea, because I didn’t even ask.”
Yamaha has partnered with Pramac for the 2025 season, following the Italian outfit's impressive success last year when Jorge Martin clinched his maiden title. However, after being passed over by Ducati in favor of Marc Marquez, Martin opted to join Aprilia's factory team. When asked about the V4 engine, Pramac Yamaha’s new rider, Miguel Oliveira said:
“My goal is to know this bike, to know this M1 and to work on the current project.
“And that’s where my focus is. I don’t think it would be smart to think about something that doesn’t exist yet. I want to be fully focused on this bike.”
