Yamaha has confirmed that their new V4 engine will make a MotoGP wildcard appearance this season.
The long-awaited Yamaha V4 engine has been the talk of the 2025 season for the Japanese manufacturer. However, their latest development has not appeared at an official MotoGP event.
But Yamaha's Motorsport Director Paolo Pavesio has confirmed that Yamaha will enter a wildcard rider this season with the V4 engine in their bike.
Yamaha has had a reasonable level of success throughout the 2025 season, Fabio Quartararo has claimed two pole positions and a podium for the Japanese manufacturer. But they still sit fourth in the Constructors Championship.
"The project is in full swing," Pavesio confirmed to Speedweek.com when asked about Yamaha's new V4 engine.
"However, I would like to emphasise again that this isn't about rebuilding an engine. We're talking about a completely new motorcycle, and we're working on making the bike race-ready.
"In addition to pure functionality, we also need to create a setup for competition. Only then can we continue the internal comparisons with the current bike."
After discussing the updates on the project and the development of their new engine, Pavesio was asked about when the new engine will make its debut.
It was then that he revealed that one of the Yamaha test riders would make a wildcard appearance this year with the new engine installed in the M1.
"We want to make a wildcard entry this year, and as soon as possible," he confirmed.
"The sooner we can do this test at a GP weekend, the faster we'll progress with development. However, I can rule out the possibility of us competing with the V4 bike before the summer break. I hope we can get going soon after the summer break."
