Yamaha Factory Racing Team Successfully Complete Final 2025 Wild Card at Valencia

Yamaha completes its final 2025 wild-card outing in Valencia as Augusto Fernández finishes 16th and gathers key V4 prototype data for the 2026 MotoGP season.

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The Yamaha Factory Racing Team ended their 2025 wild-card programme with a positive result at the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community. The race at Circuit Ricardo Tormo was used to gather the last set of race data for the V4-Powered Prototype before the 2026 pre-season tests begin. Wild-card rider Augusto Fernández completed the MotoGP race in 16th place after a steady and well-managed performance.

Fernández started the 27-lap race from P23 and avoided the chaos on the opening lap. He moved up to P20 by the time the field crossed the line for the first time. From there, he followed Somkiat Chantra and Álex Rins closely as the group fought for positions in the middle of the pack.

Johann Zarco’s long-lap penalty on lap four briefly pushed Fernández into P19, but the Frenchman and Nicolo Bulega overtook him again soon after. A crash from Ai Ogura allowed Fernández to regain a spot and return to P20.

The Yamaha test rider showed consistent pace in the middle stage of the race. After several attempts, he finally overtook Chantra on lap twenty-one and held the position. Late-race incidents opened more opportunities as Maverick Viñales retired, Fabio Quartararo crashed out, and Aleix Espargaró returned to the pits.

Fernández crossed the finish line in 16th place, 36.854 seconds from the race winner. His final result keeps him joint 24th in the championship standings with eight points, while Yamaha ends the season fifth in the constructor standings with 247 points.

With the Valencia race complete, Fernández now passes the V4-Powered Prototype to Yamaha’s four 2026 MotoGP riders. They will continue the development programme during the one-day IRTA test on Tuesday at the same circuit.

Augusto Fernández — Yamaha Factory Racing Test Rider

“I think we performed quite well on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, we confirmed what the next step will be. The direction we need to take during the winter is clear. It’s been a positive weekend. Our pace is not super far off, and the bike is behaving quite well. I’m curious to see the other guys now, and hopefully they will confirm the same thing. We will keep working to get the package ready for Sepang in February.”