Works rider Andrea Locatelli on the Yamaha R1: Great, but old

Although Yamaha is in fourth place out of six manufacturers in the 2026 World Superbike Championship manufacturers’ standings, it is actually performing worse than Kawasaki, which is behind them. This is because Garrett Gerloff scored 110 points on the sole ZX-10RR, whilst the six Yamaha riders – four of whom were riding factory bikes – only managed a combined total of 131 points, which is not significantly more.

The highest-placed Yamaha rider in the overall standings is Andrea Locatelli. With four rounds remaining, the Italian sits in eleventh place with 88 World Championship points, and he makes no secret of the fact that the R1’s best days are behind it.

In fact, the Yamaha is the oldest bike on the grid. First used in 2016, it has secured top-three finishes in every season so far. “The Yamaha is a great motorbike, but it’s been on the market for quite some time now,” Locatelli remarked cautiously in an interview with motosprint. “It might be down to the engine’s design, its character. It’s a proper Superbike. One that starts to wobble when braking and accelerating, and reminds me of the days when Ben Spies was still racing. I’ve been looking back at the pictures from back then: His R1, just like his rivals’ bikes, was imprecise, unruly and twitchy – much like, as I recall, Carlos Checa on the Ducati or Johnny Rea on the Honda. Look at who’s winning: a train running on rails.”

As for Yamaha, the gap to Ducati is simply too wide.

Andrea Locatelli

Locatelli is, of course, alluding to the Ducati V4R, which has secured every victory this year and 65 out of a possible 72 podium finishes. “They lie flat on the track like a plank and are extremely stable,” emphasised the Yamaha rider. “I’m not saying that the leader isn’t riding fast. If, hypothetically, we were to rule out the Ducatis, there’d be more battles and a bit more variety. One day the Bimota would win, the next the BMW, then the Yamaha again, followed by the Kawasaki and the Honda. In short: there’d be a colourful mix. As far as we’re concerned, the gap to the Ducati is simply too big.”

The measures taken so far to level the playing field have proved ineffective against the Ducati. In 2027, there will therefore also be a rev limit. The planned standardised fuel could also have some impact. “To even out the performance differences, rules such as those on fuel flow were introduced, but that didn’t work – partly because some teams use specialised and expensive fuels,” says Loka. “A new motorbike would, of course, be nice. The decision lies with Japan. I think they’re ready for it. Perhaps it wouldn’t be easy to sell, but a new flagship model in the range would be brilliant.”