Lin Jarvis, the outgoing team boss of Yamaha’s MotoGP division, has revealed his unfulfilled dream of securing 10 world championships for the brand. Having announced his departure at the end of 2024, Lin Jarvis reflects on his extensive career with Yamaha, which began in 1998 and spanned an era of immense success in the sport.
During his tenure, Jarvis oversaw Yamaha’s dominance with Valentino Rossi, the rise of Jorge Lorenzo, and more recently, Fabio Quartararo’s 2021 championship triumph. However, the last two years have been challenging for Yamaha, as the team slipped from title contenders in 2021 to a position where podium finishes became scarce by 2024.
Despite the setbacks, Jarvis managed to secure new two-year contracts for Quartararo and Alex Rins, as well as negotiate the return of a satellite team through Pramac for 2025. Key personnel changes also aimed to bolster Yamaha’s recovery.
In an interview with Greek publication MotoGP World, Jarvis admitted that not winning additional titles with Quartararo remained a regret. “Since we won the last championship in 2021, even I didn’t anticipate the struggles that would follow,” Jarvis shared. “I had hoped to win at least two more titles with Fabio before my career ended. My dream was to reach 10 titles, but unfortunately, by mid-2022, we recognized Ducati’s rapid growth, and their performance and development outpaced ours.”
Jarvis continued, “By 2022, we were already facing challenges, and in 2023, we brought in former Formula 1 engine chief Luca Marmorini to help improve our engine performance. From that point, we began to rebuild, closely watching Ducati and the growing strength of KTM and Aprilia.”
Reflecting on his decision to leave Yamaha, Jarvis expressed satisfaction with his accomplishments in 2024. “If I had left at the end of last year, I would’ve felt like I hadn’t completed my job. But after this year, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve laid the foundation for Yamaha’s future success.”
Jarvis will be succeeded by Paolo Pavesio as team principal in 2025, marking the end of an era for Yamaha in MotoGP.
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