Yamaha MotoGP Battles to Support Struggling Rider

Alex Rins described a deeply frustrating weekend at the United States Grand Prix. He struggled with his Yamaha M1 and finished at the rear of the field.

Problems at COTA

Rins qualified last at Circuit of the Americas. He also crossed the finish line in last place. His gap to the race winner was 38.701 seconds.

He was more than ten seconds behind the next Yamaha, ridden by teammate Fabio Quartararo. Rins reported throttle response issues exiting Turns 1 and 11. The problem appeared intermittently until about lap eight.

During his second pre-qualifying run, he said the bike would not turn correctly. He repeatedly ran wide and could not change direction as needed. The rider admitted feeling useless and questioned his motivation.

Wider Yamaha crisis

Yamaha is rebuilding around a new V4 project for the start of the 2026 season. The marque faces immediate problems, however.

Fabio Quartararo announced before the season he will move to Honda next year. After three rounds, Yamaha holds just nine points in the constructors’ standings.

At the US Grand Prix, all four Yamaha machines finished in the final four places. That outcome highlighted how deep the performance shortfall has become.

Team statements and fallout

Quartararo told French television at COTA that the team does not yet know how to fix the V4 M1’s issues. The remark underscored internal concern about technical direction.

At the Thai Grand Prix, Yamaha withdrew its riders from race day media duties. Team boss Paolo Pavesio warned the marque faces a “mountain to climb,” according to Filmogaz.com.

What comes next

The weekend intensified calls for rapid technical progress. Yamaha must find solutions before the grid settles around the 2026 V4 package.

The situation frames how Yamaha MotoGP Battles to Support Struggling Rider while developing its new machine. The team now has limited time to recover competitive form.