Alex Rins, a six-time winner in MotoGP, has expressed feeling “completely helpless” as Yamaha has struggled to remain competitive in recent years. The Spanish rider switched to Yamaha in 2024 after an injury-hit 2023 season with LCR Honda, where he did secure an unexpected win at the Americas Grand Prix.
Since joining Yamaha, Rins has yet to make it back onto the podium, with his best finish being seventh place at the Australian Grand Prix this year. At the recent Indonesian GP, despite battling for a podium position, Rins fell back to 10th due to significant tire wear. He ended the 2025 season ranked 19th overall with 68 points, trailing his factory teammate Fabio Quartararo by 133 points, who managed one Grand Prix podium and two sprint podiums.
Throughout the 2025 season, Quartararo consistently outshone his Yamaha teammates, but Rins defended himself along with Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira, emphasizing that none of them “have forgotten how to ride.” At the Valencia GP weekend, Rins admitted the team’s situation was tough to handle, saying, “When I ride my bike, I feel completely helpless and unable to do what I want to do.”
Rins reflected on races like Indonesia where he was in a strong position but ended up losing ground, noting that this struggle isn’t new, and only Quartararo seems to have adapted better to the bike. He acknowledged that Quartararo’s confidence and improved handling might explain his edge but stressed that he, Miller, and Oliveira still remember how to race.
Yamaha has announced it will retire its inline 4-cylinder engine and debut a new V4 engine in the upcoming season. The Japanese manufacturer has cautioned that the initial stages of next year’s campaign will focus more on refining the bike’s packaging instead of chasing immediate results.
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Fan Take: This situation with Rins and Yamaha highlights the growing pains of a legendary team trying to innovate and regain its competitiveness. For racing fans, Yamaha’s engine switch and the riders’ fight to prove their skill adds an unpredictable element to the sport, potentially shaking up the MotoGP hierarchy in the coming seasons.
