Quartararo fully returns, leading the Yamaha full team to gather data on the M1 V4 at the MotoGP 'Buriram Test'.
"El Diablo" Fabio Quartararo, the top French rider from Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, has fully recovered from injury and returned to the track, leading the Yamaha full team alongside Alex Rins, Jack Miller, and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu to test the Yamaha YZR-M1 V4 at the 2026 MotoGP pre-season test at Chang International Circuit in Buriram. Yamaha deployed its new V4 powertrain to accelerate development before the season starts.
The final pre-season MotoGP test for the 2026 season passed its first day on Saturday, 21 February, amid Buriram's intense heat, marking a critical evaluation for the Japanese factory teams.
This weekend marks a significant step for Yamaha after a major shift from an Inline-4 to a V4 engine in the YZR-M1 to meet the demands of the new MotoGP era, presenting major technical and setup challenges.
On the first day, Jack Miller, Australian rider number 43 from Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, ranked 17th with a lap time of 1 minute 30.325 seconds, 1.063 seconds behind the leader.
Fabio Quartararo, 2021 world champion and rider number 20, worked hard with the new package, finishing the first day in 18th place with a lap time of 1 minute 30.507 seconds, 1.245 seconds off the pace, while teammate Alex Rins, Spanish rider number 42, placed 19th, 1.250 seconds behind.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, three-time World Superbike champion from Turkey, tested bike number 7 for the first time in Buriram with Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, focusing on adapting to the track and bike, ending the day in 21st place, 2.312 seconds behind the leader.
The Yamaha riders will continue the "Buriram Test" for a full day on Sunday, 22 February, aiming to collect detailed data to develop the M1 V4 bike to its best form ahead of the MotoGP season opener in Thailand next weekend.