YAMAHA TESTS SMALLER TRI-PLANE WING ON 850CC PROTOTYPE

Yamaha appears to be carrying its distinctive tri-plane front-wing concept into MotoGP’s 850cc era, judging by images of test rider Augusto Fernandez on the manufacturer’s prototype. The design is an adaptation of the three-wing arrangement now used on Yamaha’s 1000cc V4, with smaller elements and no loop joining their outer edges.

The prototype offers an early glimpse of how Yamaha is approaching the 2027 regulations, which reduce the permitted size of several aerodynamic surfaces. The maximum width of the upper front fairing will shrink from 600mm to 550mm, the maximum rear-end height will fall from 1,250mm to 1,150mm, and the front fairing’s foremost point must move back by 50mm. The rules also narrow the rearward taper of front-fairing aero appendages.

Yamaha’s recent development history suggests the tri-plane layout has become its preferred solution. The team opened the current season with a more conventional box-style wing, then returned to a tri-plane design previously seen on its inline-engine bike. Using its D concession status, Yamaha subsequently introduced another front-wing evolution, which remains in use on the 1000cc machine. Yamaha is currently the only manufacturer using a tri-plane arrangement on a 1000cc MotoGP bike.

The 2027 rules will also restrict rear-aero development. Rear aerodynamic parts will have to be included in the homologated Aero Body, with manufacturers permitted only one rear-aero update during the season, subject to their concession status.

The final designs may not be visible for some time. Manufacturers are expected to delay showing their definitive 2027 aero packages until winter testing, ahead of official homologation at the Thai season opener. Ducati’s 850cc prototype, by comparison, has so far been seen with a single-plane front wing.

Yamaha’s 2027 rider line-up is also set to change: Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura are due to join the factory team, while Toprak Razgatlioglu will stay at Pramac alongside rookie Izan Guevara. No rider or team quotes about the prototype were included in the report.