Fabio Quartararo expects "improvements everywhere" on his Yamaha

Yamaha kicked off its 2026 season this Wednesday in Jakarta, at the world's largest gathering of Yamaha dealers held in Indonesia. In a packed hall at the InterContinental Jakarta, fabio quartararo and Álex Rins have removed the sheets that hid the colors of their 2026 livery, revealing the design of the very first YZR-M1 equipped with a V4 engine. MotoGP.

This was an opportunity for everyone to celebrate the completion of the project, which will still require a great deal of work from the four Yamaha riders in MotoGP, as well as the engineers at the Iwata factory. Massimo Meregalli, the official team manager, nevertheless praised the scale of the project: “Unveiling this new 2026 motorcycle is a special moment because it represents months of hard work from many people.”, he emphasizes. This year, the biggest change is technical: we're starting with a completely new project, and that will certainly create an exciting atmosphere in the garage, especially during the upcoming tests and the first race. There will be a steep but interesting learning curve, and everyone – mechanics, engineers, drivers – will be pulling in the same direction from day one.

On stage, Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins also expressed their enthusiasm for the new project. The 2021 world champion is about to experience a pivotal year for the rest of his career. Indeed, he has been insisting for months that he doesn't intend to stay with Yamaha indefinitely until the bike he's given is competitive.

Thus, he announced on several occasions last year his desire to be on the podium from the very first races of the 2026 season, otherwise he would approach other manufacturers. On stage, however, he reiterated his determination to take on a new challenge with the brand that enabled him to win his first world title.

“I’m ready to get back in the saddle! The start of the season is always the time when energy and enthusiasm for the new season are built up,” confides the French pilot. I think we're all pushing the limits. It's a new project. We know we only started last year, so it will obviously be a long process. But I'll push hard from day one to get the best possible result and enjoy myself.

Fabio Quartararo expects immediate progress

More measured than on other occasions, given the context, Fabio Quartararo tempers his immediate expectations: "As I said, the project is brand new, so there's room for improvement everywhere," He explains. However, what I think Álex and I are expecting is progress across the board. Cornering angle and engine power are the most important.

Álex Rins, teammate of number 20, draws his motivation from his feelings at the end of the 2025 season, which were better than at the beginning of the campaign: “Last year I gained momentum at the end of the season, with the Indonesian GP being my best weekend, the Spaniard remembers. "Starting the season with the team presentation here in Jakarta, I feel incredibly motivated. I want to carry this energy from the start of the year with the fans into the 2026 season."

Yamaha's 2026 roadmap is clear: to lay the foundations from the Sepang Shakedown (January 29-31), where Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Pramac riders – will join the factory representatives on track to focus on developing the machine.
These improvements will then need to be confirmed during the Sepang tests three days later, before heading to Thailand for two final days of official testing, which will directly precede the first Grand Prix of the season in Buriram.

However, the development of the M1 will not stop at the start of the first race, as Massimo Meregalli reminds us: "The goal in 2026 will be to extract performance and build consistency while getting to grips with the new machine." A job that will be built weekend after weekend, in the hope of concluding a crucial season positively before the 850cc regulations of 2027.

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