Fernandez to make Malaysia wildcard to accelerate Yamaha's V4 progress
Fernandez will make his second wildcard appearance on Yamaha's V4 bike
Yamaha's MotoGP test rider Augusto Fernandez will compete in this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix with the aim of boosting the Iwata-based manufacturer's new V4 engine project.
The constant pressure Fabio Quartararo is putting on Yamaha to make progress in the development of its new V4-powered bike has led the Japanese manufacturer's engineers to enter Fernandez in the Malaysian event.
The Spaniard was initially not on the entry list for the Sepang weekend, but will now take part under the the banner of Yamaha Factory Racing Team, the test squad led by veteran Silvano Galbusera.
As part of the development programme for the new V4-powered bike, Yamaha had already planned a private test at Motorland Aragon on 9-10 November, prior to the the official Valencia test on 18 November.
This double day of testing was intended to allow Fernandez to perform a shakedown of the four V4-powered M1s that Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller, and the new addition for next season, Toprak Razgatlioglu, will be using in the Valencia test.
The test will also provide the three-time World Superbike Champion Razgatlioglu with his first taste of the MotoGP bike before taking part in the Valencia test with the rest of the grid.
As of now, Fernandez's wildcard entry at Sepang does not change the plans for the subsequent test in Aragon.
Augusto Fernandez, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP
Yamaha is trying to push ahead with the development of a completely new bike that will help it take a significant enough step to convince Quartararo, whose contract expires at the end of next year. Quartararo has already made it clear that that he will look elsewhere on the grid if the Japanese marque doesn't improve next year.
In addition to Fernandez, Michele Pirro, Pol Espargaro, and Lorenzo Savadori are all returning at the 2025 Malaysian GP as replacements for Marc Marquez, Maverick Vinales, and Jorge Martín respectively
Yamaha currently sits last in the manufacturers' standings, 43 points behind homegrown rival Honda. It has scored just one Sunday podium so far in 2025, courtesy of Quartararo's second-place finish at the Spanish GP.
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