Friday, July 25, 2025
HomeMotorsports“Can feel the extra power": Praise for new Yamaha engine

“Can feel the extra power”: Praise for new Yamaha engine

Yamaha uses a new engine in MotoGP testing in Jerez: Alex Rins is thrilled, Fabio Quartararo cautiously optimistic

After a strong MotoGP race weekend in Jerez, there were many happy faces in the Yamaha pit. Fabio Quartararo’s pole position and second place in the Grand Prix showed that there is still life in the current Yamaha R1 with its inline four-cylinder engine. With a new upgrade of the inline four-cylinder, the results could be even better in the future.

On the Monday after the Spanish Grand Prix, Yamaha tested a new version that is primarily designed to deliver more power. The engine is considered an improvement overall, is expected to deliver 2 km/h more top speed on the relatively short straight at Jerez, and will be used starting at the upcoming race weekend in Le Mans.

“It’s a bit more powerful,” confirmed Yamaha factory rider Alex Rins, who finished the test day in P4. ”Yamaha is working on top speed because we’re slightly behind in that area. We’ve improved by 2 km/h. That’s a great result. We’ll use it at Le Mans.”

Rins was not in perfect shape after crashing on Friday, but was able to complete 49 laps on Monday. The Spaniard tested various setups. “It went pretty well. I improved by 0.5 seconds and set my fastest lap in Jerez so far. So I’m pretty happy,” Rins summed up.

The new powerful engine is encouraging Yamaha officials to celebrate podium finishes more regularly in the future. “More power makes life easier on the track. But there are other areas we can improve, such as the electronics,” said Rins.

“But the bottom line is that I’m pretty happy because I can feel the extra power,” said Rins, who will complete two days of testing in Misano after Le Mans. ‘That will help us to test more things,’ said the Spanish Yamaha rider.

Cautious optimism from Fabio Quartararo

Fabio Quartararo’s comments on Monday were not quite as euphoric as those of his teammate Alex Rins. Quartararo finished the test day in P3 and found it difficult to make clear statements because Jerez does not have any long straights.

According to Quartararo, you only get clear insights after testing on a track where you spend more time in fifth and sixth gear. Only then will it become clear whether the engine is a noticeable improvement.

“It’s difficult to really tell here because the straight is very short. The most important finding from the test was that we have the same agility with the new engine. Of course, we had to adjust a few things, but the feeling was pretty good,” commented the Frenchman.

“But we still need a little more time to exploit the advantage of the engine. However, there are positive signs and that’s great,” said the former champion happily. “When accelerating, the new engine was a little too aggressive at the beginning. We were able to adjust that via the electronics. We made it a little smoother.”

Quartararo is not paying much attention to Monday’s times. He himself decided not to chase times. “The lap times weren’t very meaningful. The wind was very strong. There was also a lot of rubber on the track,” he explained.

However, Quartararo was by no means dissatisfied. “It was a good day. But we’ve always been too optimistic after testing this year. That’s why I see today as just a training day where we tried out a new engine. I don’t want to be happy or disappointed,” explains Quartararo, who was primarily satisfied with his race pace. On Monday morning, he consistently posted lap times in the 1:36 range and is therefore confident ahead of his home Grand Prix in Le Mans.

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments