More from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol: 

Honda HRC Castrol kick start 2026 in Valencia.

The first day of 2026 produced reams of critical data for Honda HRC engineers to pore over as Joan Mir and Luca Marini finished in 12th and 14th respectively.

Overnight rain left the circuit damp in a number of spots, causing a heavy delay to proceedings as the Valencia Test began. A revised schedule saw action go until 17:30 Local Time to account for the lack of morning activity. After an early lunch, the Honda HRC Castrol team quickly got to work to make the most of the available track time.

Completing a total of 37 laps, Joan Mir ended the day as the fastest Honda rider in 12th place. Less than half a second off the top spot, times were deceptively close as the battle for 2026 supremacy began. Honda HRC’s objective for the one-day test was to confirm and finalise a number of items tried in recent rounds by Honda HRC riders ahead of the winter development program.

Luca Marini was able to complete a best time of 1’29.916 across his 44 laps of the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Like his Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Marini was able to tick off a number of different items. With the track in a unique condition due to the rain and a half day of running exclusively by MotoGP machines, Marini remained unphased by his position and lap time compared to other riders.

Now a winter of rest for some and intense work for others begins as the start of 2026 gets closer day by day.

Joan Mir: “A productive test, working on a few items for 2026 with a similar base to what we’ve had. Today was about understanding what we need for the Sepang Test, after a year like this it’s good to have a day where we can confirm everything after everyone has been working so hard to deliver as much material as soon as possible. Some positives and negatives as always, but we’re able to find the direction and let the engineers and Test Team get to work. I have a lot of trust and confidence in how the winter will go in Japan, now we need to enjoy the winter and arrive strong and healthy in Malaysia.”

Luca Marini: “Today we had a really busy day, trying a lot of things in a really short amount of time and it was easy to get lost in a situation like this. The team and engineers did a great job to keep everything focused through the day. Now we need to sit down and check what we have learned deeply, make a plan together and move forward over the winter. We made a good step in each area of the bike, it maybe doesn’t show on the times because the track condition and the tyres complicate everything. Now a little bit of time to recover before we arrive in Sepang and start again.”

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More from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team: 

The Ducati Lenovo Team celebrates Ducati’s centenary at the Valencia test.

The Ducati Lenovo Team’s final track appointment of the season ended, with Francesco Bagnaia and Nicolò Bulega taking part in the first official test of 2026 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. A challenging and retro-inspired day concluded with the eighth and tenth place in the combined standings. Both riders tested setups and new aerodynamic parts in view of the appointment at Sepang International Circuit the next February. Nicolò sings an excellent 1:29.661 (45 laps), a time that means the Top10, just over two tenths behind the top guys. Pecco also had positive feelings, set a best lap time of 1:29.731 (50 laps).

The common thread throughout the day was Ducati’s centenary, which will be in 2026. Pecco and Nicolò took to the track with two iconic liveries that recall iconic victories in the Borgo Panigale manufacturer’s history. A tribute to the 750 Imola Desmo, the emblem of Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari’s legendary one-two finish at the 1972 Imola 200 Miles, and to the 750 Supersport Desmo, the bike on which Franco Uncini won the Italian 750cc title in 1975.

Nicolò Bulega: “I’m happy, although I’m disappointed about the mistake in the last corner in the time attack, where I lost two tenths. I’m starting to ride better and better, I feel the bike is a little more mine, and I’m able to push harder. Today was an important day: during the test, the atmosphere is more relaxed and there’s less stress. We worked more calmly, step by step, and at the end of the day, I put in some good laps and was even able to feel the new tires. It was a very useful experience, especially for my role as a test rider in 2026″.

Francesco Bagnaia: “I’m finishing the final round of 2026 with a definitely good feeling. Compared to the race weekend, I immediately felt comfortable with the 2026 prototype and we worked hard. The pace and the lap times were good from the first outing, and I didn’t have any difficulties. I’m happy; it was a test with really fast times. It’s a shame I didn’t do a final time attack with the soft tyres, but I’m satisfied. I’m going on holiday with a positive attitude”.

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More from a press release issued by Honda LCR:

Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira has completed his first MotoGP day in Valencia, finishing 21st. 

• The Valencia Test welcomed the newly crowned Moto2 World Champion to his new MotoGP home, the Honda LCR team.
• It proved to be a day of firsts for the Brazilian, as he took his MotoGP machine onto the track for the very first time, began navigating the bike’s sophisticated electronics, and stepped into an entirely new competitive world.
• Speed, an amazing feeling, and a dream fulfilled were the words the rider used to capture the emotions of his debut day in MotoGP.

It was a special day for the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team. On this Tuesday that effectively kicks off the 2026 campaign with the traditional test day, the team officially welcomed 29-year-old Toprak Razgatlioglu to the garage as new teammate of confirmed Jack Miller. The Turkish rider from Alanya arrives fresh from his third Superbike world title, won just one month ago in Jerez de la Frontera, and is preparing for his first MotoGP season.

It was also a special day because both Razgatlioglu and Miller began the intense development work on Yamaha‘s new YZR-M1 prototype fitted with the new V4 engine.

The day started with several hours of delay due to a damp track caused by heavy rain the night before, preventing the teams from going out before 1 p.m. Before diving into the crucial early stages of learning — adapting to a completely new bike, new tyres, new electronics, as well as working with his crew chief Alberto Giribuola — Razgatlioglu broke the ice with his new team by offering everyone traditional Turkish pistachio baklava.

Once the green flag finally opened the session, Jack and Toprak took to the track with the goal of completing as many laps as possible on a prototype still in its early development phase. When the red light at 5:30 p.m. officially closed the MotoGP season, Razgatlioglu wrapped up his first official MotoGP test in 18th place, with a best lap of 1‘30”667 after completing 53 laps. Miller finished 20th with a 1‘30”864 after 51 laps.

Tomorrow, the Prima Pramac Yamaha team will stay on track for a private test session before closing the garage for the season and set the next appointment with the fans for 2026.

GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha 

“It was a hugely important day for Yamaha, as we‘ve started a new era with the V4 engine and had all four riders on track with the new YZR-M1 prototype. And of course, the real debut of Toprak — who, at this stage, can‘t give feedback at the level of Jack and the others because everything is new for him — but he started this new adventure extremely well.
He was very good and very precise in understanding the bike‘s dynamics; you can tell he feels the bike from the feedback he gives, and in my opinion he was very fast — much faster than I expected, considering how little he knows so far. And as a person, I really like him: he‘s very easy to work with. What impressed me the most is his braking — it‘s incredible — although compared to Superbikes he has to adapt to these tires and this bike, learning to… brake less. But from the data you can see he has already understood this and is starting to apply it to be more efficient. Between him and the new bike, this is a new challenge for us — we need a new spirit, and Toprak will definitely be important here. And now we‘re already preparing for the first stoppie battle between him and Jack; with these two, we might just become world champions in this specialty!”

Jack Miller: “It was a busy day as we tried to understand the new bike and provide solid feedback. There‘s a lot to do, and we‘re working on it. This bike has only a few days of life so far, and it‘s still very much a work in progress, but we‘ll keep pushing. We know the strengths and we know the weaknesses — now it‘s our job to give the engineers the most precise feedback possible so they can work over the winter to find the best solutions.”

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More from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3: 

We got a first taste of 2026 on Tuesday as MotoGP™ was already back on track with the traditional Valencia Test, officially opening the upcoming season before we head to the winter break. What was meant to be a full day of testing turned into a 4-hour test, as the morning track conditions did not allow riders to hit the track until 13:30. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 squad made the most of these final 4 hours of the season, with Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini completing a total 103 laps between the two of them.

Unfortunately, the heavy rain from Monday evening over the Circuit Ricardo Tormo meant a cold and wet track this morning when the green flag launched the start of 2026 at 10:00. No riders were seen on track in the first hour, and then it was only Jack Miller and then Maverick Viñales who tried to go out for one lap, but they quickly returned to the pit box. The first session was red flagged due to track conditions, meaning no testing action on Tuesday morning.

The green flag was finally waved at 13:30 as bikes began hitting the track. Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini could both finally get on with their testing scheduled as they joined the action just before 14:00. The target for Maverick was to get as much track time as needed to regain the confidence on the bike heading to the winter break. In addition, the factory introduced a new seat configuration to try out and new aero elements, which were tried by the number 12 today as the factory aimed to gather feedback from all riders. Top Gun rode a total of 56 laps today, some solid work done by the Spaniard, who ended the final day on track of the year with the 6th time (1’29.620, +0.247), and a positive feeling heading to the off-season. Maverick will now have a bit more than 2 months to fully focus on getting back to his 100%. On his side, Enea Bastianini welcomed new crew chief Andres Madrid who joined the Tech3 ranks after spending a few seasons with Brad Binder. The day was all about getting to know each other and trying to build a solid base of work. Just like his teammate, Enea also tried the new seat configuration introduced by KTM, a request made by the Italian as he continues to search for the most comfortable way to ride his RC16. Some positives, some negatives, but a lot of data gathered which will be crucial to the engineers heading to the winter break. The Italian rode a total of 47 laps, with a fastest lap in 1’30.291 (+0.297 seconds) ridden in the final minutes of track action! 

That’s all folks for 2025 track action, thank you to all those who have followed our adventures this year, and we can’t wait to be back on track next season! See you at the Sepang Test, on February 3-4-5, 2026!

Maverick Viñales: “We tested many items, especially on the aerodynamics, and it gave me a clear picture of where we need to go for 2026, so we are quite happy. We still need to put things all together, but if we work smart during the pre-season, we will arrive to the first round in good shape. We are ending the year with a better feeling. All the team has the ideas clear heading to the winter break, so we are happy.”

Enea Bastianini: “Unfortunately, the test was a bit short, so we did not do everything we wanted. I have tried a new seat, it has potential, but we still need to make a few adjustments. We tried some fairing, again, some positives, and some negatives, but I think overall we brought good information to the factory. The most important for us is the set up, because this year I was not comfortable on the bike at all, and I have not felt like ‘Enea’, so I hope that with my new crew chief we can figure that out for Sepang next year!”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “Enea Bastianini began the work with his new crew chief, Andres Madrid, who we are welcoming to our team! The target was for them both to get to know each other, and understand how they both work. Enea had a few items selected together with KTM to try out, but we unfortunately could not complete all our plan since we did not ride this morning. The main thing for Enea was trying a new seat configuration, because he has not really felt comfortable all year long. I think that there were some positives and negatives that we will look into in the winter. The plan was different for Maverick Viñales because of his shoulder of course. The main target for him was to recover his confidence on the bike, he did many laps, and I think that it is progressively coming back, we saw him smiling all day, which is a good sign. On top of that, he also had a few items to try, the seat too, and some aero elements, as we really needed to give feedback to KTM so they can prepare all the new parts, and eventually make some adjustments if required for the next test. I think we did a pretty good job today, now it is time for everyone to get some much needed rest after a busy season. We will all reflect on this season, and prepare in the best way possible for the next test in Malaysia in February. Thank you to everyone for their support, thank you to all the team for their efforts today, and I wish everyone a good winter, and see you all in Sepang!”

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More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha: 

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Start 2026 Season with Valencia Test.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins returned to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo today to kick off their 2026 testing programme. They took 15th and 19th place respectively in today’s overall results.

After a one-day break, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team came back to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo to start the 2026 pre-season with today’s one-day Valencia Test. It was a momentous day for Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins, who mainly worked on getting acquainted with the V4 engine. They concluded the day in 15th and 19th place respectively in the overall timesheets.

Overnight rain resulted in the morning session being cancelled due to track conditions. The afternoon session was rescheduled for 13:20-17:30 (GMT+1).

Once the action got underway, Quartararo used the available riding time to renew his acquaintance with the V4 engine, which he had last tried at the Misano Test. Although featuring at the top of the timesheets for a while at the start of the session, he mainly spent the afternoon working on the base set-up. He posted a best time of 1’29.927s on lap 36/46 that put him in 15th position, 0.554s from the top.

Rins was excited to try the V4 engine again today. The Spaniard used the available track time to get familiar and comfortable with the 2026 prototype bike. He opted to solely focus on race pace and collecting data. His best time, a 1’30.720s, set on lap 4/33, put him in 19th place, 1.347s from first.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP will return to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo tomorrow for a one-day private test. After that they will recharge their batteries during the winter break.

MotoGP will be back in action in the new year for the Sepang shakedown from 29-31 January, followed by the Sepang Test from 3-5 February and the Buriram Test on 21-22 February.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI – Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha 

“Today was the first day of 2026 winter testing. We were not so much looking at performance but rather focused on gathering as much data as possible. Unfortunately, the conditions of the track due to last night’s heavy rain didn’t help proceedings. But luckily, a few months ago we anticipated this, and we have a private test here booked for tomorrow. This extra day will most likely give us the time needed to evaluate the updated parts, such as a different chassis and a different aerodynamics package, and we can also work on set-ups.”

Fabio Quartararo: “Today was quite a short day. It was not already the goal to find something better than in Misano. We were mainly working to find a base set-up and find the feeling on the front. The riding style is completely different, but I like riding with the V4. It’s still too early for a complete verdict. Luckily, tomorrow we have one more day of private testing – it will be an important day.”

Alex Rins: “The bike has slightly improved. They didn’t change anything such as the gearbox or big items, but I felt better than in Misano. I didn’t make many laps because of the track conditions, but the laps we did were proper laps in terms of feeling. We worked a lot on the settings, and I can say that having tomorrow as another test day, I focused more on race pace than putting a soft in for a time attack. Overall, I feel quite good, so we’re at a good starting point for tomorrow.”

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More from a press release issued by CASTROL Honda LCR:

CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco has finished 13th on Tuesday at the Valencia Test.