More from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
After official testing, Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin are ready for first race of season.
After two intense days of official testing at Buriram, Aprilia Racing is ready to take on the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship at the Chang International Circuit with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martín.
Marco Bezzecchi had the opportunity to work on the RS-GP26 during the tests held between Sepang and Buriram. Over the five days of testing, the Italian rider showed strong harmony with the RS-GP26, consolidating the quality of the work carried out by the Racing Department of the Noale-based manufacturer and highlighting encouraging potential. Bezzecchi heads into the first race weekend in Thailand with great motivation, determined to confirm the speed and positive feeling that emerged during the Buriram tests, where he finished first at the end of the two-day session.
Jorge Martín, assessed by the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Medical Team on the day prior to the tests and declared fit to race, completed both days of testing in Thailand as scheduled, finishing in eighth position. For the Spanish rider, the main objective was to progressively rebuild confidence with the RS-GP, adopting an approach focused primarily on riding. Martín now heads into the first race weekend of the season, aiming to continue improving session by session and regain his competitiveness.
The Chang International Circuit in Buriram was built in 2014 and hosted its first MotoGP World Championship Grand Prix in 2018. The track is 4,550 metres long and features 12 corners – seven right-handers and five left-handers. The circuit layout alternates between very long straights and demanding braking zones.
Marco Bezzecchi: “The tests went quite well, we worked a lot and this helped us understand how the RS-GP26 is performing. I am satisfied, even though testing is very different from a race weekend. Now we have some time to work and analyse the data, trying to identify further areas for improvement. The guys have done a great job and I can’t wait to finally start racing.”
Jorge Martin: “I’m really keen to start the season after last year’s complications due to injuries. Physically, I feel much better, and it was very positive to take part in the pre-season tests at Buriram to prepare for the race as well as possible. We start the year with a great desire to do well: the bike has improved, and so have I. Everything is in place to enjoy a great season.”
More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:
Honda HRC Castrol begin 2026 Season in Buriram.
Luca Marini and Joan Mir have completed their final preparations for their latest campaign, the pair aiming to do the colours of Honda HRC proud on the 60th anniversary of their entry into the premier class.
The Chang International circuit will once again host the opening round of the MotoGP World Championship, the 4.55 kilometres of tarmac the first stop in a journey across 22 different circuits. Set to be a unique season as the era of 1,000cc motorcycles is set to come to a close, all four Honda riders eager to add to the 85 victories achieved by the Honda RC213V since its debut in 2012.
Having made impressive improvements from 2024 to 2025, Luca Marini is out to make another step this year and take his challenge to the podium positions. A steady off season allowed for plenty of data and feedback for the #10, he and his team in a strong position to adapt to the ever-changing reality of the MotoGP World Championship. Marini achieved 12th at the Thai GP in 2025, a result he’ll need to surpass to leave the weekend satisfied.
Joan Mir was a standout of the end of 2025 as he raced to two podiums and a number of competitive rides. With his motivation reinvigorated, he approached the pre-season with complete dedication and focus, making further gains with the Honda RC213V. Still looking for more after the five days of testing, the 2026 World Champion is eager to resume his fight at the sharp end of each and every race. Mir’s best result on the Honda in Thailand is 12th, achieved in 2023.
Luca Marini: “My third year in the factory Honda HRC team and my motivation only keeps increasing. Everyone inside Honda has been working hard, not just over the winter but over the past few years and I am determined to reward their efforts this season. We’ve seen from the test more or less where we are, but in the heat of a full Grand Prix weekend anything is possible. Maximising our performance in Qualifying will be really important at this track, so that is our first focus. There are just a couple of small pieces we need to put together and I know we can be even stronger than how we ended 2025.”
Joan Mir: “If it’s your first season or your eighth season in MotoGP, you’re always excited for the first race! It’s been a long winter of training and from the personal side I am ready to go. Honda have made good progress with the RC213V and we found a few things during the test, but it’s important to keep focused and work at our maximum during this first weekend. Let’s start the season well and build from there, 22 rounds and 44 races is a lot of laps, and anything can happen. I think it’s going to be a very interesting year!”
More from a press release issued by Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team:
Di Giannantonio and Morbidelli ready for the start of the 2026 season in Thailand.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back on track at the Chang International Circuit to kick off the 2026 MotoGP season, which gets underway this weekend with the Thailand GP.
The MotoGP winter break is over and the Thailand GP will be the opening race weekend of the 2026 season: the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will hit the track with confidence after the positive winter test with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli, completed just a few days ago right in Buriram.
After a solid winter break and encouraging winter test, Di Giannantonio is eager to get the season underway again: on his Ducati Desmosedici GP, Fabio has shown consistency and competitiveness since the very first test in Malaysia, confirming his positive feelings in Buriram as well. At this circuit – where won in 2018 (Moto3) – the rider from Rome is ready for the first race weekend of 2026, marking his third consecutive year with the team.
Morbidelli is preparing to start his second season with the team following an intense winter. The pre-season tests gave him confidence and proved solidity and progress, session after session. Franco started to get familiar with the new package during the Sepang test, continuing the work in Buriram: at this track, where he narrowly missed the podium in 2025 and where he got a fourth place as his best result, the Italian-Brazilian rider confirmed the positive feeling with his bike during the latest test.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will go on track on Friday for the first free practice sessions. Qualifying will take place on Saturday starting at 10:50 (local time, +6 CET), followed by the Sprint at 15:00 (local time). The Thailand GP will conclude with Sunday’s race, which will start at 15:00 (local time).
Fabio Di Giannantonio: “After five days of winter testing, the season is finally getting underway! We’re back on track for the first race weekend and I’m really happy to start from the Thailand GP! We arrive at the first weekend of the year with many clear ideas; we feel confident and in great shape with the team. The tests were very positive, perhaps the hardest of my career, but I’m very pleased with how they went and with the solutions we tried. We have a great team and the best bike on the grid – I’m fully convinced that we can do a great job with the package we have. The goal for the weekend will be to enjoy, push hard and do an excellent job.”
Franco Morbidelli: “I’m very happy to start the season again, and doing it in Thailand will be great. We finished the winter tests here, where we understood many things about the new bike. Overall, the preseason was very positive and I’m ready for the start of 2026. We feel competitive for this first race weekend – we can have our chance. We’ve shown that we’re fast; we’re right there. The goal will be to confirm the good feelings from testing during the race weekend as well. We’re ready!”
More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Set to Tackle 2026 Journey with Thai GP Season Kick-Off.
Following last weekend’s Buriram MotoGP Official Test, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins return to the Chang International Circuit to commence the 2026 MotoGP season with this weekend’s Grand Prix of Thailand.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are prepared for racing action at the Chang International Circuit this weekend. Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins are keen to start the 2026 journey with the first of twenty-two MotoGP rounds.
The MotoGP paddock visited the Chang track six times before. El Diablo’s best result here was in his first Thai premier class race in 2019, when he secured second place. The number-20 rider always receives a lot of support from local fans, and he is looking forward to riding in front of them again at the season opener.
Following the winter break and the 2026 preseason testing, Rins is excited to greet the MotoGP fans at the track again. The Spaniard has used the last three months for training in order to be top fit for this weekend. He has ridden in Thailand five times before (he missed the 2023 event due to injury) and achieved his best result there in 2019, securing fifth in the MotoGP class.
The Chang International Circuit opened in 2014, and MotoGP made its debut there in 2018. The circuit is located about 410km northeast of the country’s capital, Bangkok, and is close to the town of Buriram. Many riders and fans are excited by the Chang track’s 4.55km layout that includes a 1km longest straight and five left and seven right turns.
The Grand Prix of Thailand is held in the GMT+7 time zone. FP1 will take place on Friday from 10:45-11:30 local track time and Practice will be held from 15:00-16:00. On Saturday, FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40, and the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, followed by the 13-lap Sprint that starts at 15:00. On Sunday, Warm Up is held from 10:40-10:50 and the 26-lap Race starts at 15:00.
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director:“The Grand Prix of Thailand marks the real start of our journey, and we can’t wait to feel the incredible atmosphere Buriram always creates. The preseason tests showed us challenging aspects, and the aligned feedback from the riders gives us a clear direction to work towards. There’s a lot of hard work ahead. Our aim this week is to make the most of the current package and gather as much data as possible in a Grand Prix setting.”
Fabio Quartararo:“The preseason is over, and we are starting the new season. We learned a lot in testing – there were some tough moments, but also some good steps – and now it’s time to build onto the base we have established. I really like Thailand, this track, and the fans here. I will do my best!”
Alex Rins:“After a long wait, it‘s time to go racing again! The tests showed us where we can push and develop more as well as where we need to work. The direction is pretty clear. There‘s always a great vibe in Thailand, and I‘m sure the fans worldwide are excited that MotoGP is back. I‘m ready to begin this journey!”
More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
A Season of Growth Begins for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP in Thailand.
Four days after concluding pre-season testing at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP is set to begin its 2026 MotoGP World Championship campaign at the same venue. The Thai round officially opens a season focused on development and steady progression.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP heads into the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship this weekend at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram fully aware of the challenge that lies ahead. With a motorcycle only six months into its development, the early phase of the season will focus on learning and refinement. Encouragingly, during last week‘s pre-season test at the Thai venue, the gap to the benchmark was already within one second of a new track record — a solid base from which to begin the campaign with realism and confidence.
Jack Miller arrives at the Thai Grand Prix in a positive frame of mind after completing 71 laps across two productive test days in Buriram. The Australian concentrated on long runs and evaluating base set-ups, providing valuable feedback as the project continues to evolve. Acknowledging that further steps are needed to close the gap to the front, Miller believes the foundation is sound and is ready to use race conditions to continue shaping the Yamaha package into a competitive machine.
For Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, 2026 represents an entirely new chapter, with a new team, new bike and largely new circuits to master. The Turkish rider approaches the season with determination as he works to adapt to MotoGP demands. Buriram is not completely unfamiliar — he raced here in WorldSBK in 2019, the last visit of the production-based championship — and he completed 59 laps during last week‘s test, focusing on long runs and narrowing down workable set-ups as he builds confidence step by step.
Located around 410 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, the 4.554km Chang International Circuit features five left and seven right turns and a one-kilometre straight that places emphasis on top speed and braking stability. The typically hot conditions and heavy braking zones make tyre management and consistency crucial over race distance.
The Thai Grand Prix takes place in the GMT +7 time zone and begins on Friday with MotoGP Free Practice at 10:45 local time, followed by the decisive Practice session at 15:00. Qualifying on Saturday starts at 10:50 and sets the grid for both the Sprint and Sunday‘s Grand Prix, with the 13-lap Sprint scheduled for 15:00. The 26-lap race on Sunday, also at 15:00 local time, will crown the first winner of the 2026 season.
Gino Borsoi – Team Director: “First of all, it’s a pleasure and an honour to be part of this new Yamaha project. We all knew that building a bike in just a few months would not be easy, and that the early phase would require patience and hard work.
Even if the riders’ positions in testing don‘t immediately reflect it, the gap to the front is not as large as it might appear from the outside, and that is already a positive sign. If this is our starting point, I’m confident that over the course of the season we can reduce that gap. The first races will be very important for learning and refining the set-up, and that’s where we expect to make progress.
It’s true that we still lack some performance, particularly on the engine side, but the fact that the gap is manageable shows that the chassis is already working at a high level. That is encouraging. The team is highly motivated and determined to help bring Yamaha back to the results it deserves.”
Jack Miller: “It’s great to finally be back racing. The test gave us some good feedback, and while we know there are areas where we need to improve quite significantly, this is what we’re here for. Racing is what drives us, and it‘s also the best development tool we could ask for. Being on track in real race conditions will help us understand the bike even better and keep pushing the project forward.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: “I feel the pressure, but at the same time I’m very excited. I know I still have a lot to learn and that the first few races will be difficult, but I‘m really looking forward to this challenge and I feel ready for it. It’s a strange but very nice mix of emotions. It‘s incredible to think that I‘m about to start my first MotoGP race.”
More from a press release issued by ELF Marc VDS:
Canet and Oncu braced for opening battle in Buriram.
The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team starts its 17th season in the Moto2 World Championship in Thailand this weekend with an exciting new line-up of Aron Canet and Deniz Oncu ready to kickstart their 2026 title challenge.
For the second season in succession, the Chang International Circuit in Buriram hosts the first of an intense 22 round season and Canet and Oncu head to Southeast Asia eager to showcase their skills for the first time in Elf Marc VDS Racing Team livery.
The action commences with FP1 on Friday morning at 950am local time, with the opening Moto2 race action scheduled for lights out over 22 laps at 1315pm on Sunday afternoon.
- The 27-year-old brings a wealth of experience and proven race-winning pedigree into his seventh season in Moto2, which will see him compete once again on Boscoscuro machinery for the first time in five years.
- Runner-up in 2024 and third overall in 2022, the Spaniard is determined to emerge as a leading title contender once again as he looks to add to his five victories and 34 podium finishes in the ultra-competitive Moto2 category.
- Canet has an incredibly impressive CV at Buriram with three top three finishes in four Moto2 appearances, which includes a sensational win by 3.6s in 2024 when he led every lap.
Aron Canet: “It’s always a special feeling going into a new season and I’m very excited to start this new challenge and new adventure with such a great team. It is going to take time to get up to speed with the new Boscoscuro but I’m confident we can be quickly achieving the results the team and I expect. I have no doubt there is plenty of potential to be unlocked from the package and with hard work and patience we know we can be fighting at the front. It’s good to be starting the season again in Thailand. The fans there are always incredible and it is a track where I’ve been able to get some very good results at in the past. My win there in 2024 was one of the best of my career, so I go to Buriram looking to gain experience with the new bike and getting a strong result to start the season in a positive way.”
- This weekend’s Thai Grand Prix is not only the Turkish star’s Elf Marc VDS Racing Team debut, but it is going to be his first competitive action since the Brno round last July after a serious left leg injury prematurely ended his 2025 season.
- The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last year with stunning victories in MotorLand Aragon and Sachsenring and he is eager to shine again in his first season racing the Italian crafted Boscoscuro chassis.
- Oncu’s best finish in Buriram was a fifth from pole position in Moto3 in 2023, with 10th in his rookie year in 2024 his best finish in Moto2.
Deniz Oncu: “I’ve had to wait quite a long time to be racing again, so maybe my first race nerves and excitement going to Thailand are a little more than most on the grid. It hasn’t been an easy few months with my injury last year, but I have been working incredibly hard to make sure I am as ready as I can be both physically and mentally for the challenge ahead. Switching to the Boscoscuro chassis brings a new challenge for me and it is one I’m ready to face head on. Nothing is easy at this level, but I believe in my potential and believe I have a great team behind me to bring more success to this project. The goal of course is to be fighting at the front as soon as possible, but it is important right now in this learning phase to be making constant progress and I’ve no doubt we can do it.”