Yamaha selects Jarvis’ replacement for MotoGP programme

Yamaha has selected Paolo Pavesio to succeed Lin Jarvis as head of its MotoGP programme in 2025, Autosport can reveal.

The Japanese manufacturer is expected to announce Pavesio’s appointment as managing director of Yamaha Motor Racing next week in Misano.

Over the past 10 years, Pavesio has held various positions in different departments of Yamaha Europe in the Netherlands. This is the same office where Jarvis worked for six years before joining MotoGP in 1999.

The Italian, who currently holds the position of member of the management committee, has never played an active role in the MotoGP paddock, but does have racing experience through the brand’s teams in the World Superbike Championship.

Pavesio will manage the ongoing transition at Yamaha and the relationship with new satellite team Pramac, which will announce the arrivals of Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller in the coming weeks.

Although Grand Prix winners Oliveira and Miller do not exactly meet the criteria of a ‘junior team’, Yamaha wants Pramac to initially serve as a ‘team laboratory’ to accelerate the development of the M1. This justifies the choice to hire experienced riders.

Yamaha is also working to strengthen its test team and plans to recruit current Tech3 rider Augusto Fernandez in that role. The Spaniard will join Cal Crutchlow, who has been out injured since the start of the year, in an expanded test team.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Finally, Yamaha aims to finalise its Moto2 structure for 2025, with the aim of continuing its long-term partnership with VR46.

Pavesio will have big shoes to fill, as Jarvis has been vital to Yamaha’s success in MotoGP over the past 25 years.

He first joined the team in 1999 in the then 500cc World Championship, having previously worked for six years in the marketing and communications department of Yamaha Europe.

In April of this year, he announced in an interview with Autosport that he wanted to retire from MotoGP at the end of the season.

This year, Jarvis set out to complete a number of key tasks to put the Japanese brand on the right track for the future.

After convincing Fabio Quartararo to sign a new contract, his priority was to secure a satellite team. That team eventually became Pramac, which won the teams’ title last year with Ducati.

He has also hired a number of experienced engineers and technicians, including the brand’s Italian rival, to help close the gap to the top in the coming years.

With these tasks completed, Jarvis can retire as Yamaha’s top executive at the age of 66.