Alex Rins has openly questioned his situation at Yamaha after a frustrating United States Grand Prix, highlighting the scale of the manufacturer’s current struggles in MotoGP.
The Spanish rider endured a difficult weekend at Circuit of the Americas, where he qualified last and finished at the back of the field. His performance reflected a broader issue, with all four Yamaha riders occupying the final positions in the race classification.
Rins admitted the experience left him disheartened, revealing he felt “useless” on the bike and even questioned his purpose during the race weekend. Ongoing technical problems made the situation worse, particularly inconsistent throttle response and a lack of control in key sections of the track.
Yamaha’s difficulties are not limited to a single race. The team is in the middle of a major rebuild as it develops a new V4 engine project, but early results in the 2026 season have been underwhelming. After the opening rounds, the manufacturer has collected only a small number of points and remains far from the front-running teams.
The situation has also been compounded by uncertainty within the squad. Fabio Quartararo is set to leave Yamaha at the end of the season, and he has already voiced concerns that the team lacks clear solutions to its performance issues.
Team management has acknowledged the scale of the challenge. Yamaha leadership has previously described the project as a “mountain to climb,” underlining that improvements will take time rather than offering an immediate fix.
For Rins, the combination of poor results and technical limitations has taken a mental toll. While Yamaha continues to work toward long-term progress, the current situation has left its riders battling both on track and internally as they try to remain competitive.
