The brutal reality for Yamaha’s MotoGP riders was laid bare at the recent US Grand Prix in Austin, where the punishing 1.2-kilometer back straight at COTA exposed the glaring weaknesses of the Yamaha V4 machines. Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller didn’t mince words, describing the experience as feeling “like a lamb to slaughter” during the sprint race, where his top speed lagged a staggering 10 km/h behind Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi, the race winner.
Miller limped home in 14th place, the second-best Yamaha rider after Fabio Quartararo, but was overtaken in the closing laps by KTM’s Brad Binder and VR46 Ducati’s Franco Morbidelli. The Australian’s frustration was clear as he reflected on the race: “It's a working project. But we're keeping our head down. I was trying to fight there in the race but every time we open it up… You're like a lamb to slaughter a little bit. Getting the stickers peeled off you every time down the back straight.”
The back straight at COTA became a nightmare for Yamaha riders, who were mercilessly hunted down by rivals with superior top-end speed. Miller recounted Binder’s relentless attacks, “Brad had four goes before he got it right,” while also admitting a small mistake in the stadium section cost him against Morbidelli. “We came out of the last corner together, but we had a yellow flag at turn one. So you're kind of stuck following the leader and then once we open the taps [on the back straight], you can't do anything about it.”
Facing such a stark performance deficit, Miller held out hope that upgrades could be on the horizon for the upcoming Jerez round. “We're working away at it and trying our best. Hopefully come Jerez we can be a little bit more competitive and we'll try to get better as the season progresses. It’s not through lack of trying.”
This struggle is a harsh contrast to Miller’s performance at COTA last year, where he secured a season-best fifth place, highlighting just how far Yamaha has fallen behind its rivals in the speed stakes this season. Even after finishing 16th in the main race, Miller showed some fight, overtaking Quartararo and finishing close behind teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu in the slipstream. Yet, the deeper problem remains embedded in the bike's core design and performance.
Miller admitted, “There are still some areas, especially in the DNA of the bike, that we need to keep working on and refining, but for now we‘re doing the best we can with what we have. The important thing is that we‘re starting to understand the bike better and build a clearer direction for the future.” His focus now turns to the European races, where tighter schedules and potential upgrades could help Yamaha regain lost ground. “Now I‘m looking forward to getting back to Europe – having races closer together should help us keep the momentum, bring some updates, and continue developing in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, Pramac team director Gino Borsoi echoed a cautious optimism despite the glaring speed deficit. After battling chronic rear grip problems in earlier rounds, Borsoi was pleased that both his riders could maintain competitive pace over the 20-lap race, signaling some progress. “From the halfway point of the race both riders showed they had the pace to stay close to the top ten. That‘s an important indication for us,” he said.
However, the gap to the front remains daunting, with all four Yamaha riders finishing more than 25 seconds behind Bezzecchi’s dominant victory. Borsoi conceded, “This is our starting point, and it‘s from here that we need to continue building. We know it won’t be easy, but we‘ve already reduced the gap significantly compared to the first races. Now we have to keep our heads down, continue working, and bring the team and our riders closer to where they belong.”
Yamaha’s nightmare at COTA highlights a season spiraling into crisis, with rivals eating up precious seconds on the straights and the Yamaha camp scrambling for answers. The coming races in Europe will be crucial for the Japanese giant as it fights to claw back competitiveness and salvage what remains of its MotoGP campaign. Fans and critics alike will be watching closely to see if the engineers can turn this “lamb to slaughter” into a predator once again.
