{"id":627069,"date":"2026-04-24T03:39:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T03:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/627069\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T03:39:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T03:39:15","slug":"rins-questions-timing-of-early-yamaha-axe-after-poor-start-to-motogp-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/627069\/","title":{"rendered":"Rins questions timing of early Yamaha axe after poor start to MotoGP 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Rins<\/a> has admitted he is \u201csurprised\u201d that Yamaha has taken such an early decision to drop him from its factory team for the 2027 MotoGP season, especially with its new V4 bike still struggling on track.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Autosport revealed that Yamaha<\/a>\u00a0has signed Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura<\/a> to partner incoming Jorge Martin<\/a> next year.\u00a0That move, which has yet to be officially confirmed, is set to leave six-time grand prix winner Rins without a seat heading into MotoGP\u2019s new 850cc era.<\/p>\n

The Spaniard has scored just three points across the opening three races of 2026, compared to six for team-mate Fabio Quartararo<\/a>, as Yamaha rolls out a radically overhauled bike built around a new V4 engine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know a little bit about motorbikes, it is difficult to understand,\u201d said Rins. \u201cIn a really new project, how can you have the future decided in just three races, with the bike not performing at 100%?<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave it everything since day one, from when we first tried the bike in Barcelona in that private test. So it\u2019s curious. For sure it\u2019s surprising for me that in three races they decide everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rins joined the Iwata-based manufacturer in 2024 after successful spells with Suzuki and Honda, but has struggled to replicate that form on the M1.<\/p>\n

Injuries and Yamaha\u2019s broader competitiveness issues have impacted his results, and he has consistently trailed Quartararo. He was also outscored last season by Pramac rider Jack Miller<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Alex <\/p>\n

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography \/ LAT Images \/ via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old revealed he first learned of his likely exit through media reports before receiving informal confirmation from Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen did I find out? I found out when it was in the press,\u201d Rins said.\u00a0\u201cEleven days ago I called Massimo for a normal conversation – I have a really good relationship with him. I asked him straight away, \u2018Do you have any update?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t say anything at first. Then I said, \u2018Maio\u2026\u2019 and he told me, \u2018I can\u2019t say anything officially, but don\u2019t say anything – we signed the second rider.\u2019\u00a0That\u2019s it. I tried to ask who, but he didn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yamaha\u2019s decision leaves Rins in a difficult position, with few seats still available on the grid as teams move early to secure their 2027 line-ups. When asked about his future, he said: \u201cRight now, I don\u2019t know. The only option I have is to go full throttle on track.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a bike that is not really performing, you cannot be at the top. You have to ride on your own and give your best. We are going to work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked whether a satellite seat at Pramac could still be an option, Rins was doubtful: “They didn\u2019t say anything about this. Honestly, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also played down the prospect of a switch to World Superbike, adding: \u201cI feel that I need to stay here. I still have a lot of potential in this championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

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– The Autosport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alex Rins has admitted he is \u201csurprised\u201d that Yamaha has taken such an early decision to drop him…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[40457,64,63,224629,5745,806,805,803,804,303910,254732,85,42935],"class_list":{"0":"post-627069","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-alex-rins","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-circuito-de-jerez","12":"tag-motogp","13":"tag-motor","14":"tag-motor-sports","15":"tag-motosport","16":"tag-motosports","17":"tag-rins-questions-timing-of-early-yamaha-axe-after-poor-start-to-motogp-2026","18":"tag-spanish-gp","19":"tag-sports","20":"tag-yamaha-factory-racing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}