Why Yamaha should be more concerned than it appears at its current MotoGP plight

Despite the calm displayed by Paolo Pavesio, Yamaha’s managing director, after the Japanese manufacturer’s underwhelming season opener in Thailand, several signs suggest the level of concern runs much deeper than it may seem.

To begin with, it was striking that the company did not allow any of its four riders to speak to the media following the first grand prix of the season. Particularly noteworthy was the case of Toprak Razgatlioglu, who was not given the opportunity to explain how he felt after his first MotoGP grand prix. The three-time World Superbike champion is a personal bet from Pavesio, and in his first full-length race in the premier class he crossed the line 17th, 39 seconds behind race winner Marco Bezzecchi and nine seconds adrift of Fabio Quartararo in 14th, the fastest of the Iwata marque’s riders.

The Turkish rider beat Jack Miller, his Pramac garage neighbour, who finished second-to-last, eight seconds behind him and only ahead of Ducati test rider Michele Pirro. Nevertheless, Razgatlioglu is the least of Yamaha’s concerns. Largely because he shoulders most of the responsibility when explaining the origins of his lack of competitiveness, pointing to a more complicated adaptation to MotoGP prototypes than he had anticipated.

Quartararo and Alex Rins, by contrast, have been far less accommodating and far more direct regarding the M1’s weaknesses, despite finding themselves in very different situations concerning their futures.

Quartararo has an agreement with Honda to become the new flagship rider of the Japanese manufacturing giant. Rins, meanwhile, remains uncertain about his next move. Proving oneself when the bike beneath you is incapable of delivering results is no simple task. The Spaniard and the Frenchman differ greatly in both personality and personal circumstances, which leads to Quartararo to react far more viscerally – at times to the point of later regretting it.

“I need to learn to relax, to take things more calmly, and not make certain mistakes I’ve already made in terms of image. That’s the most important thing,” reflected the 2021 world champion this weekend in Thailand, referring to the middle finger he directed at his bike during testing a few days earlier – a clear sign of frustration.

“We’ve already told him to try to hold back, because doing those kinds of things doesn’t help him from an image perspective,” a source within his inner circle said this writer.

On Sunday, perhaps to avoid another flare-up, Yamaha prevented Quartararo from facing the microphones, which was a decision that technically breached the contract signed with promoter MotoGP Sports Entertainment, which on this occasion accepted the move given the delicacy of the situation.

“Fabio finished the race extremely angry. It was better for the team that he didn’t speak, because it could have blown up badly,” a separate source from inside the Japanese manufacturer’s garage told Autosport.

There are reportedly images suggesting that the Nice-born rider’s bike stopped before reaching the garage, likely due to an engine issue. Whether that engine is indeed damaged will become clear in the coming days, when the organisation updates the data following verification by IRTA technicians. Despite being the only manufacturer in Concession Rank D – which allows unrestricted engine development – each Yamaha rider has just 10 engines to cover the 22-round calendar. Beyond that number, any additional engine would require starting from the pitlane. Some team members are already placing bets on when that might first occur.

With his Sunday intervention, Pavesio sought to project a message combining calm with realism. Motofumi Shitara, Yamaha Motor’s global president, made an unexpected appearance in Buriram which did not lend itself to an alarmist discourse, even if the attendance of the group’s highest-ranking executive inevitably raised eyebrows.

“The president came from Japan, and one might think he did so to find out what’s going on. But no – he came to demonstrate his commitment and support, and to reassure us,” said Pavesio, who a year ago took on his current role at Yamaha.

Paolo Pavesio, Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Since taking over from Lin Jarvis as team director, events have moved at relentless speed within Yamaha. In 2025, the MotoGP division split in two to develop in parallel both the bike raced in grands prix – still powered by the inline four-cylinder engine – and a new machine equipped with a V4 powerplant, an entirely unknown world for the brand.

Quartararo and Rins did not deliver glowing feedback when they first tested that V4 at the end of last year. Worse still, that initial impression has not improved now that they are racing the new version, seen as “the only path that will take us back to where we belong,” in Pavesio’s words.

The executive is the public face of Yamaha’s transitional period, but the distance between him and the riders appears greater than it was during the Jarvis era.

“I don’t speak much with Paolo. The people who matter to me are the ones inside the box. More than with him, I speak with the engineers,” Quartararo told Autosport in an interview at Phillip Island a few months ago.

That lack of connection, combined with the bike’s limited competitiveness and Honda’s interest, has ultimately led to the Frenchman’s departure. Autosport understands that Pavesio’s relationship with Rins is not significantly different, despite the Catalan’s situation being more complicated, given that he has nothing secured for 2027.

He knows one side of the garage will be occupied by Jorge Martín, while meetings continue before a decision is made on who will take the other seat. On Friday at around 7pm, Yamaha technical director Max Bartolini met with Luca Marini and the Italian rider’s agent at the paddock café terrace in Buriram, in full view of passers-by. Bartolini likely outlined the project he hopes will carry Yamaha to the summit of the “mountain” Pavesio often refers to – which right now looks like Mount Everest.

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– The Autosport.com Team