For the first time since the start of the four-stroke engine era in 2002, MotoGP will feature a starting grid entirely composed of V4 engines next season. Sylvain Guintoli analyzes this event.
Over the past 24 seasons since the abandonment of 500cc two-stroke enginesThe competition between V engines and inline engines has been relatively balanced.
In terms of driver titles, 14 went to V-engine machines, which increasingly make up the majority of the grid; two for the Honda V5 and twelve more for the V4 engines of Honda and Ducati.
Motorcycles online engine represent ten tracks of world champion, nine with Yamaha and one with Suzuki, when Joan mir won the crown in 2020.
fabio quartararo then won the last MotoGP title of Yamaha in 2021, before Suzuki he bowed out in style by winning two of his last three races in 2022.
These would also be the last victories for online search engines for the foreseeable future. Yamaha confirming that she will join Ducati, Aprilia, KTM et Honda by switching to a V4 for 2026.
History Suzuki The situation in MotoGP illustrates how much the landscape has changed. The Japanese factory had previously experienced difficulties with its V4-powered GSV-R, before returning with an inline engine for 2015.
The former MotoGP rider and Superbike world champion, Sylvain Guintoli, played a key role in the development of the world championship-winning GSX-RR, as a test rider and factory guest rider Suzuki.
"Suzuki used a V4 many years ago, then upon its return, the company switched to an inline engine, which corresponds to the time when I worked there." ", said Guintoli, currently a MotoGP consultant for TNT Sports alongside his EWC commitments, at crash.net.
« This clearly worked very well since they won the title in 2020. Then Fabio won the title in 2021. So there were two consecutive Inline4 titles.. Only after that did the domination begin with the V4s »
Sylvain Guintoli: “ In 2027, we will also have more natural motorcycles »
When asked about the reasons for the switch to V4, Guintoli stated:
« Well, that's for sure, aerodynamics, combined with the superior power of the V4, is essential because The resistance of all these fins and aerodynamic devices must be compensated for in order to move forward in a straight line. ", did he declare.
« Then, thanks to the seat correction devices, there are now more drag motorcycleswhich also helps to better transmit all that power to the ground »
« When you lower the rear device, you have a greater capacity to utilize power compared to a conventional motorcyclewhere the power must be limited until you are in fourth gear »
« Aerodynamics, ride height adjustment systems, and overall grip have made motorcycles more efficient. allowing pilots to deploy more power than beforeI think that explains the slight advantage of the V4. »
This advantage, according to Silvan Guintoli, becomes even more evident when tire grip decreases during a race.
« In a racing situation, when grip decreases in corners, it is no longer possible to maintain the same speed as before. ", he explained. But with a V4 you can stop and quickly turn the motorcycle around the apex, then use all that power once the motorcycle is moving »
« By doing this, you lose less time than if you try to maintain speed through a turn. »
« So that's why things have evolved in this direction, in my opinion… But there's no guarantee that it will always be the that is the case when the new rules come into effect in 2027! »
With MotoGP switching to smaller 850cc engines for 2027, the abandonment of ride-height control devices, and the switch to tires PirelliThe current advantage of the V4, derived from the optimization of the rear tire Michelin , could disappear.
« We'll see, but in 2027 we'll also have more natural motorcycles, without ride height adjustment devices, with less aerodynamics, and it will be interesting to see how that goes… And a 4-cylinder in-line engine might not be a bad idea! »
But with so much knowledge and data accumulated around the V4, and even Yamaha Having opted for this solution in search of better rear grip, no MotoGP manufacturer is known to be evaluating an 850cc inline engine project – at least for now.
The 100% V4 grid of 2026 is the culmination of an inevitable technological evolution, driven by the quest for grip and cornering power. It marks the end of the mechanical romanticism of parallel lines, in favor of pure efficiency. The challenge for Yamaha will be immense, but perhaps the greatest suspense lies in the future: the revolution of 2027 Will it, against all odds, open a new window for the return of inline engines? For now, the V4 reigns supreme.
