to get used to the new bike
in a kind of learning process.
Then in the second, for sure
we expect Alex [Rins] and Fa-
bio to gradually improve their
results."
The previous week, reigning
World Superbike Champion
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jack
Miller lifted the covers to re
-
veal Pramac Yamaha's largely
unchanged livery.
"Maybe I need to change
some riding style because a
MotoGP bike is completely
different than a Superbike,"
Razgatlioglu said. "With a
Superbike, I'm doing more
stop-and-go. But in MotoGP,
the corner speeds are faster.
But I'm ready for this."
CN
can really focus on the perfor-
mance."
That mild optimism was
shared by Takahiro Sumi,
Yamaha's General Manager
of Motorsports Development.
"One of the targets is to get a
wider range of performance
window. Even in the early
stages, we found encouraging
progress in some key ele
-
ments, like better stability un-
der braking and acceleration,
and consistent feeling over a
long run. There, it wasn't far off
the inline-four."
Team manager Massimo
Meregalli is viewing the year
ahead in two parts. "We are
starting from zero almost," he
said. "In the first one we'll try
Aprilia has no title sponsor to
speak of on the side of its fac
-
tory machines, while Trackhouse
will run a classic Gulf livery at
just five events.
This is one thing Aprilia Rac-
ing CEO Massimo Rivola hopes
MotoGP's new owner, Liberty
Media, will be able to rectify in
the coming years. "We need to
raise the level of the business in
MotoGP," he said. "[When] the top
sponsors join MotoGP, then we
will get the benefit too."
Yamaha
The factory with the most to
clear in its in-tray this preseason
is Yamaha. The Japanese fac-
tory is desperately attempting
to speed up development of its
new V4 YZR-M1 after shelving its
inline-four engine at the close of
last year.
"When you have to catch up,
you need to be brave and bold,"
reasoned Paolo Pavesio. "This
is why the decision to shift to V4
configuration in '26 was taken.
This bike has more potential than
the one we raced in 2025."
A largely unchanged Monster
Energy-themed livery was one
takeaway from its launch in Ja
-
karta. Another was Fabio Quar-
tararo's reserved optimism with a
five-day outing at Sepang on the
horizon.
"Since day one [on the V4] in
Barcelona, I've adapted quite
quick to the [different] torque
delivery," said the Frenchman.
"That's the biggest difference. I
don't think I have to learn [to ride
differently]. We have to find our
base and exactly where we can
find the limit. And from there, we
Jack Miller will play a vital role in the new Yamaha
V4's development in Pramac colors.
VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P95
