MotoGP ends 2025 season with awards ceremony, as Yamaha confirms V4 engine from 2026, while McLaren announces female racers hire.
The 2025 MotoGP Awards took place on Sunday evening at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, celebrating the season trackside for the first time ever. This season’s Champions collected their well-deserved medals, and Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) took to the stage to celebrate the greatest comeback in sporting history – lifting the new-look Tower of Champions.
The top three from each class – MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 – all took to the stage, including Brazil’s first World Champion in Moto2 title winner Diogo Moreira. Our star rookies from across the classes were likewise celebrated in Valencia, as well as contructor and team champions – and more.
MotoGP capped off a record-breaking year of racing at the end of Round 22 in front of a packed audience – and then welcomed an extra special guest. At the end of the ceremony, Daddy Yankee treated us to a brilliant show as MotoGP closed its latest chapter in a very fitting way ahead of 2026 revving into life on Tuesday in the Valencia Test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9_Qnm4DlY&t=7577s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9_Qnm4DlY&t=7577s
Yamaha –
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. confirms that the YZR-M1 machines will be powered by the V4 engine starting from the 2026 MotoGP season. This decision aligns with Yamaha’s earlier stated intentions to transition, underlining the continuity and transparency of Yamaha’s engine development strategy. The inline-four has been a cornerstone of Yamaha’s racing identity for decades, powering legendary riders such as Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Fabio Quartararo.
Its unique combination of agility and smooth power delivery led to countless successes: including today’s race in Valencia, the inline-four has competed in 429 Grands Prix, won 125 races, stood on 350+ podiums, and helped Yamaha claim 8 Riders Titles, 7 Team Titles, 5 Manufacturer Titles and 5 MotoGP Triple Crowns. However, as MotoGP evolves, Yamaha embraces the challenge of adapting to new technical demands while preserving its DNA.
The move to the V4 marks a significant milestone in Yamaha’s pursuit of performance and innovation. The new configuration is expected to deliver improved acceleration, better handling under braking, and greater adaptability to the most recent tyres and aerodynamics requirements. The quick development process over the course of the 2025 season reflects Yamaha’s commitment to be at the forefront of MotoGP technology while honouring its heritage.
Today’s Grand Prix of the Valencian Community marks the final race and the closing chapter for Yamaha’s iconic inline-four engine in MotoGP. Stepping into a new era, all 2026 Yamaha MotoGP riders will ride with the V4 engine during Tuesday’s Valencia Test, signalling the start of an exciting new beginning for Yamaha and its fans worldwide.
Takahiro Sumi, General Manager, Motor Sports Development Division: “The inline-four has been at the heart of Yamaha’s philosophy for decades. It delivered unforgettable victories and shaped our reputation for precision and control. We are proud of what this engine has achieved and of the riders who made history with it, as they all together have shaped our racing heritage. However, MotoGP is constantly evolving, and we must evolve with it.
“The V4 represents a new chapter for Yamaha, one that combines our ‘Spirit of Challenge’ with our racing DNA and the technical solutions required to fight at the top. Our goal remains the same: to give our riders the best possible motorcycle to win and to bring fans all around the world the feeling of ‘Kando’ (Kando is a Japanese word to express the deep satisfaction and excitement you get when encountering something of exceptional value, quality, and performance).”
Massimo Bartolini, Technical Director, Yamaha Factory Racing: “The decision to adopt a V4 engine was not taken lightly. As you can imagine, the development process was extensive. We analysed every aspect of performance, from acceleration to cornering behaviour, and concluded that this configuration offers the differences we expected, so we will have the potential to translate these into advantages.
“The 2025 wild cards confirmed our expectations: the V4, though still at the start of its development journey, delivers what we need to be able to take further steps and compete at the highest level again. The switch from the inline-four to the V4 is a major step forward for Yamaha, and we are excited to continue refining the package ahead of 2026 and throughout the season to unlock its full potential. The shift to a V4 configuration is equally strategic, as it allows us to position ourselves for the 2027 technical regulations, when this engine layout will offer an advantage in terms of bike layout and aerodynamic development.”
McLaren –
McLaren Racing today announced that it is doubling down on its commitment to opening pathways into motorsport and STEM careers for women by expanding its Driver Development Programme and entering a second car into the all-female F1 Academy series. As part of the expansion to the McLaren Racing Driver Development Programme, current F1 Academy driver Ella Lloyd will be joined by Ella Stevens and Ella Häkkinen.
Stevens, from Gloucestershire, has excelled throughout her karting career, most recently becoming Vice-Champion in the 2025 British KZ2 Karting Championship. She is the only woman to win in the UK’s premier karting class. At 14 years of age, Ella Häkkinen will be the youngest talent in the programme but her career to-date has been no less impressive. She claimed her first major international victory at the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy in Cremona, which was followed by further wins and podium finishes across Europe. She will be joining the Driver Development Programme to test single seaters in preparation for 2027.
Ella Stevens, 19, will join Ella Lloyd on the F1 Academy grid for 2026 in a second, McLaren Racing-backed entry to the all-female series. Both cars will be run and operated by Rodin Motorsport. McLaren has long been a champion of women in motorsport – both on and off track – and this added commitment will be delivered in collaboration with long-standing partner NEOM, the development taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia. The second McLaren Racing entry will be known as F1 Academy McLaren Oxagon.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: “While I recognise that more remains to be done to increase female representation in motorsport, I’m immensely proud of the progress we’ve made in this space. I hope this signals to all the amazingly talented female karters, drivers, engineers, mechanics, marketeers and accountants out there that our sport is open to all and deeply committed to keeping up the incredible momentum we have seen over the past few years.
“There are so many opportunities both at and away from track and I want to thank NEOM for partnering with us in this space to help us open more pathways for women. To now have three talented young female drivers in our Driver Development Programme is really exciting, and I cannot wait to see them hit the track.”
[The story is as per press release]
