With the MotoGP season set to return to Brazil for the first time in more than two decades, Yamaha’s difficulties persist following a disappointing opening race in Thailand earlier this month. Despite hope that conditions might not worsen for the Japanese manufacturer, critical upgrades remain elusive, leaving Yamaha lagging behind rivals like Honda, KTM, Aprilia, and Ducati. Jack Miller, a seasoned Australian MotoGP rider, and his Yamaha teammates are expected to continue battling at the rear of the field for the foreseeable future.
As the championship moves towards the upcoming round in Goiania from March 20-22, Yamaha’s ongoing performance issues overshadow the weekend’s anticipation.
Yamaha’s Unsteady Performance and Engine Concerns After Thailand
The Thailand Grand Prix exposed Yamaha’s struggles, as none of the team’s top riders – 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo, six-time winner Alex Rins, four-time victor Jack Miller, and new Pramac team member and World Superbikes champion Toprak Razgatlioglu – qualified or finished better than 14th place. This outcome marked a harsh reality check for Yamaha, which abandoned its familiar inline-four engine setup this season in favor of a V4 design, an adjustment that has yet to yield competitive results.
Fabio Quartararo revealed at Buriram that Yamaha’s anticipated engine improvements may not arrive until after the fifth round, in his home event at Le Mans, France. He stated,
“I don’t know when it will be, but I know that at least in Le Mans we will not have a new engine,”
“I’m not 100 per cent sure, but for Brazil, USA and Qatar, we will not have any [upgrades].”
The layout of Buriram, dominated by long straights, magnified Yamaha’s lack of power compared to competitors. Quartararo and his teammates repeatedly suffered speed deficits exceeding 10 km/h relative to top rivals, with Alex Rins clocking 330.2 km/h, significantly slower than Ducati’s Marc Marquez, who reached 339.6 km/h through the speed trap.
Track Characteristics Influence Yamaha’s Prospects in Coming Races
While Brazil’s Goiania circuit and the Circuit of the Americas in Texas both feature some long straights, Yamaha’s riders face prospects of comparatively less punishment outside of the Texas track’s major back straight. The cancellation of the April 10-12 Qatar round due to the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict may ease pressure on Yamaha, as the Lusail Circuit boasts a challenging 1.068 km front straight that would likely exacerbate Yamaha’s power deficits.
After Thailand, Yamaha took the unusual step of prohibiting its riders from addressing the media. Quartararo, who finished 14th and was roughly 31 seconds behind winner Marco Bezzecchi’s Aprilia, led the team’s underwhelming showing. Alex Rins followed at 15th, Toprak Razgatlioglu at 17th, and Jack Miller fell to 18th, trailing by nearly 48 seconds.
Miller described issues with tyre wear that compounded Yamaha’s troubles:
“The tyre was completely worn in the centre, and on the straights I couldn’t use more than about one-quarter throttle,”
Highlighting the depth of Yamaha’s challenges, Miller’s difficulties were in part related to tyre performance as well as engine limitations, underscoring the scope of work Yamaha faces just to reach the midfield.
Quartararo, who is expected to join Honda next season in an agreement reportedly finalized but not yet announced, admitted early in the Thailand weekend to managing expectations and focusing on caution:
“I think I was a bit too optimistic [before the season] about the potential of the bike,”
“I know what the potential is. I don’t want to go crazy and make some mistakes, especially for my image [which] I think is the most important. I try to take everything more easy.”
Rookie Diogo Moreira Benefits from Champion’s Support in Debut
Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira, making his MotoGP debut at Buriram, credited reigning seven-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez for support during his first race weekend. After a last-minute equipment change was necessary, Moreira used a spare set of gloves provided by Marquez, which the young rider felt helped him during the challenging event.
Moreira, the first Brazilian rider in MotoGP since Alex Barros in 2007, qualified 15th and achieved a respectable 13th-place finish despite hot, demanding conditions. He trains regularly with the Marquez brothers, including Alex Marquez, the 2025 MotoGP runner-up, and appreciates the valuable guidance from the experienced champion:
“Mine didn’t fit me well so yes, I used them – I asked him for them,”
“I said ‘let’s see if they help me gain a couple of seconds’ … I really enjoy training with him, it has always been a dream to train with Marc or Alex. I try to learn what I can, and he always helps me a lot.”
Moreira admitted that the shorter 13-lap sprint race in Thailand was intense, and he learned much during the full 26-lap Grand Prix that followed:
“The other riders started more calmly, and it was good for me as I learned a lot behind Zarco,”
“At some point I was alone … after 12 laps the tyre degradation was significant, but it was still a positive race for me. We’ve started the season with high motivation, and this is a learning process.”
He is set to be a focal point for MotoGP when the championship returns to his home country at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Rio de Janeiro, the site of the sport’s first Brazilian race since 2004. Moreira is excited about the event and plans to stay focused:
“For sure it will be busy, we go one week before to make the media time, but I’m really excited to be there and race on that track,”
“I will need to be focused, and I will try to make well the weekend – I think we can do it.”
Australian Moto2 Rider Gains Partial Relief Following Scoring Review
Senna Agius, an emerging Australian rider competing in Moto2, received a measure of good news after the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) acknowledged a scoring error during the Thailand Grand Prix. The error had led to incorrect allocation of championship points.
Agius, a New South Welshman with two Grand Prix wins in 2025 including a commanding victory at Phillip Island, initially earned pole position in Buriram. However, a technical issue with his Kalex bike’s electronic control unit caused a fall through the order, further compounded by a collision involving David Alonso and Filip Salac. This crash forced a red flag and race restart where Agius began from the pit lane. The restarted race was then halted a second time after an incident involving Luca Lunetta and Sergio Garcia, before a third and final attempt concluded over seven laps.
While his teammate and 2025 championship runner-up Manu Gonzalez secured victory and 25 points, Agius finished 18th and initially did not score, trailing by 25 points in the standings. A later FIM statement clarified the miscalculation, noting that an aborted second start had mistakenly been added to the lap count, artificially affecting points distribution:
“Under normal circumstances, race control software issues a prompt indicating that 50 per cent of original race distance has not been completed in order to award half points,”
“Due to the multiple starts that took place at the Grand Prix of Thailand, the single lap completed on the second start, which should have been null and void, was incorrectly added to the overall race distance. In accordance with the sporting regulations, the race distance actually completed requires half points to be awarded.”
This correction reduces Agius’ points deficit to 12.5, rather than the previously stated 25. Reflecting on the weekend’s misfortunes, Agius expressed determination to move forward:
“We will throw this Sunday in the rubbish and start afresh in Brazil,”
“We are taking a lot of strengths away from this weekend, so we will quickly put this behind us because things happened today that we could not control.”
Implications and Outlook for Yamaha and Riders in Brazil
Yamaha enters the Brazil Grand Prix under significant pressure to reverse its fortunes, with key upgrades to engine performance delayed beyond the first five rounds of the season. The early-season results demonstrate the widening gap between Yamaha and other manufacturers, especially as teams like Aprilia and Ducati establish themselves as the front-runners. Jack Miller and his Yamaha teammates face a daunting task to regain competitiveness amid ongoing technical challenges.
Meanwhile, rookie Diogo Moreira arrives at his home Grand Prix as a rising figure in the sport, buoyed by strong performances and mentorship from a celebrated champion. His presence adds excitement and attention to the Brazil event, a landmark moment for the MotoGP calendar after a 20-year absence.
For Australian Moto2 talent Senna Agius, the points correction offers renewed hope in the tightly contested championship battle, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of racing and the significance of precise race administration.
The upcoming race weekend at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna promises to be pivotal for many riders and teams as they seek to regain momentum and navigate the pressures of the developing season.
