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Yamaha fields fifth MotoGP bike at Jerez with wild-card
Yamaha to run a fifth MotoGP bike at Jerez with a wild-card appearance for factory test rider Augusto Fernandez.
Augusto Fernandez will put a fifth Yamaha V4 machine on the grid at this weekend’s Spanish MotoGP, after being confirmed as a wild-card entry.
The Spaniard, who finished 16th as a replacement for Miguel Oliveira at last year’s event on the previous Inline Yamaha, will make his first race appearance of the 2026 season.
Fernandez’s outing is focused on “data gathering for bike development”, following a difficult COTA weekend where all four Yamaha race riders finished at the back of the field, between 25 and 38 seconds from victory.
With pressure mounting for technical progress, Jerez is a crucial round, with an official MotoGP test scheduled for Monday.
“I am very excited about my first wild-card of the season and especially since it’s in Jerez,” Augusto Fernandez said.
“It’s been a long winter for me with not a lot of kms on the MotoGP bike. I can’t wait to be back this weekend.”
Fernandez debuted Yamaha’s V4 last season, achieving a best result of 14th during three wild-card appearances.
That result has been matched, but not improved upon, by Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins so far this year, although Quartararo also took sixth place in the Goiania Sprint.
While Jerez’s tighter layout will reduce the impact of Yamaha’s top speed deficit, riders have warned the bike is also lacking in other areas such as turning and rear grip.
Thanks to its D concession status, Yamaha is the only manufacturer permitted to modify its engine design during the season.
The following round at Le Mans has been tipped for the factory’s first 2026 engine upgrade.
That raises the possibility of Fernandez running a revised powerplant at Jerez, before the race riders evaluate it during Monday’s test.
Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori will also make his first wild-card of the year at Jerez.
KTM test rider Pol Espargaro is unable to replace Maverick Vinales at Tech3 due to a hand injury, while brother and Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro – who raced as a Jerez wild-card last season – is recovering from back surgery.
Ducati’s A concession status means they are unable to run any wild-cards.
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Yamaha to run a fifth MotoGP bike at Jerez with a wild-card appearance for factory test rider Augusto Fernandez.
Augusto Fernandez will put a fifth Yamaha V4 machine on the grid at this weekend’s Spanish MotoGP, after being confirmed as a wild-card entry.
The Spaniard, who finished 16th as a replacement for Miguel Oliveira at last year’s event on the previous Inline Yamaha, will make his first race appearance of the 2026 season.
Fernandez’s outing is focused on “data gathering for bike development”, following a difficult COTA weekend where all four Yamaha race riders finished at the back of the field, between 25 and 38 seconds from victory.
With pressure mounting for technical progress, Jerez is a crucial round, with an official MotoGP test scheduled for Monday.
“I am very excited about my first wild-card of the season and especially since it’s in Jerez,” Augusto Fernandez said.
“It’s been a long winter for me with not a lot of kms on the MotoGP bike. I can’t wait to be back this weekend.”
Fernandez debuted Yamaha’s V4 last season, achieving a best result of 14th during three wild-card appearances.
That result has been matched, but not improved upon, by Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins so far this year, although Quartararo also took sixth place in the Goiania Sprint.
While Jerez’s tighter layout will reduce the impact of Yamaha’s top speed deficit, riders have warned the bike is also lacking in other areas such as turning and rear grip.
Thanks to its D concession status, Yamaha is the only manufacturer permitted to modify its engine design during the season.
The following round at Le Mans has been tipped for the factory’s first 2026 engine upgrade.
That raises the possibility of Fernandez running a revised powerplant at Jerez, before the race riders evaluate it during Monday’s test.
Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori will also make his first wild-card of the year at Jerez.
KTM test rider Pol Espargaro is unable to replace Maverick Vinales at Tech3 due to a hand injury, while brother and Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro – who raced as a Jerez wild-card last season – is recovering from back surgery.
Ducati’s A concession status means they are unable to run any wild-cards.
Augusto Fernandez will put a fifth Yamaha V4 machine on the grid at this weekend’s Spanish MotoGP, after being confirmed as a wild-card entry.
The Spaniard, who finished 16th as a replacement for Miguel Oliveira at last year’s event on the previous Inline Yamaha, will make his first race appearance of the 2026 season.
Fernandez’s outing is focused on “data gathering for bike development”, following a difficult COTA weekend where all four Yamaha race riders finished at the back of the field, between 25 and 38 seconds from victory.
With pressure mounting for technical progress, Jerez is a crucial round, with an official MotoGP test scheduled for Monday.
“I am very excited about my first wild-card of the season and especially since it’s in Jerez,” Augusto Fernandez said.
“It’s been a long winter for me with not a lot of kms on the MotoGP bike. I can’t wait to be back this weekend.”
Fernandez debuted Yamaha’s V4 last season, achieving a best result of 14th during three wild-card appearances.
That result has been matched, but not improved upon, by Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins so far this year, although Quartararo also took sixth place in the Goiania Sprint.
While Jerez’s tighter layout will reduce the impact of Yamaha’s top speed deficit, riders have warned the bike is also lacking in other areas such as turning and rear grip.
Thanks to its D concession status, Yamaha is the only manufacturer permitted to modify its engine design during the season.
The following round at Le Mans has been tipped for the factory’s first 2026 engine upgrade.
That raises the possibility of Fernandez running a revised powerplant at Jerez, before the race riders evaluate it during Monday’s test.
Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori will also make his first wild-card of the year at Jerez.
KTM test rider Pol Espargaro is unable to replace Maverick Vinales at Tech3 due to a hand injury, while brother and Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro – who raced as a Jerez wild-card last season – is recovering from back surgery.
Ducati’s A concession status means they are unable to run any wild-cards.
[analyse_source url=”http://crash.net/motogp/news/1093278/1/yamaha-fields-fifth-motogp-bike-jerez-wild-card”]