Augusto Fernández returns to the Yamaha V4 in Malaysia

Moto2 World Champion in 2022, Augusto Fernández had already participated in the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano riding the Yamaha prototype equipped with a four-cylinder V-engine. This layout is common in MotoGP now, the Japanese brand is the only one to still rely on the inline four-cylinder engine.

With long straights and equally long curves, the Sepang circuit offers a new playground for an engine on which Iwata engineers and their star driver fabio quartararo are placing a lot of hope. The Frenchman has never hidden it: the success of the V4 will determine his future within the team with which he won the world title in 2021.

The Nice rider wasn't particularly impressed by Fernandez's performance in his last outing at Misano, where he scored both points for fourteenth place. He will no doubt be closely monitoring his teammate's progress this weekend, as he is expected to return to the Yamaha V4 at Valencia, the day after the final Grand Prix of the 2025 season.

“I am happy to be back in competition”, said Fernandez. “It’s been a long time since the Misano Grand Prix, but I’m really looking forward to next weekend. We’ll continue to improve our V4-powered prototype. We’re back on track and racing again. I’ve really missed the V4-powered prototype, and I can’t wait for the weekend to start to see what’s possible. But of course, it’ll be another weekend dedicated to developing the prototype, so the main goal is to be ready for next season.”

This new weekend, where the Yamaha will be tested in the same conditions as all the other bikes participating in the championship, will be decisive in knowing whether the Japanese team will try the V4 gamble next year, or whether it will wait for the 2027 season, when new technical regulations will be put in place, notably with 850 cc engines.

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