MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Alex Rins expressed deep frustration over the performance of Yamaha Factory Racing following a difficult weekend at the MotoGP World Championship round in the United States. The Spanish rider questioned his situation after enduring a challenging race at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
Rins started from last on the grid and finished the grand prix in last position, trailing the race winner by 38.701 seconds. He was also more than 10 seconds behind team-mate Fabio Quartararo, who was the leading Yamaha rider in the race. The result extended Yamaha’s difficult start to the 2026 season, with the manufacturer collecting just nine points in the constructors’ standings after three rounds.
The Japanese marque is currently undergoing a major transition with the development of its new V4 engine project for the M1. However, on-track performance has yet to reflect meaningful progress. At the US Grand Prix, all four Yamaha riders occupied the final positions in the classification, underlining the scale of the challenges facing the team.
“Seeing all four Yamahas at the back is not good,” Rins said, as reported by GPOne. “It’s not that I was surprised, but I thought to myself, ‘Wow, we’re all here?’”
Rins explained that technical issues were a key factor behind his struggles. He experienced inconsistent throttle response, particularly when exiting Turns 1 and 11 at COTA, which compromised his ability to maintain competitive pace.
“Up until lap eight, the bike wouldn’t respond when I opened the throttle out of the corners. On some laps it was fine, on others the problem came back,” he explained.
He further described the bike as uncompetitive during pre-qualifying, highlighting difficulties with cornering and direction changes that impacted his confidence.
“During my second run in pre-qualifying, the bike wasn’t working at all. I was running wide in every corner, I couldn’t turn, couldn’t change direction, I couldn’t do anything. I felt useless on the bike,” he said.
Rins also reflected on his mental state during the weekend, delivering his most candid remarks.
“I said to myself, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ There are moments when I’m not enjoying it, and I ended up asking myself, ‘What are we doing?’”
The situation is compounded by earlier comments from Quartararo, who stated that Yamaha does not yet understand how to resolve the issues affecting its V4 M1. The French rider has already confirmed his move to Honda for next season, adding further pressure on Yamaha’s rebuilding process.
Yamaha management has also acknowledged the scale of the challenge. Team boss Paolo Pavesio previously admitted that the manufacturer faces a “mountain to climb” in its effort to return to competitiveness following the Thai Grand Prix.
With the season still in its early stages, Yamaha now faces a critical period. Technical evaluation and development direction of the M1 will be decisive in determining whether the team can recover in upcoming rounds, as attention shifts to the next MotoGP event.
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