MotoGP 2026 – My $.02
By Joe Tatulli
Things are ramping up quickly for the 2026 MotoGP season. In fact the first race weekend is set for the last weekend of this month (February 27 – March 1) in Thailand. Pad Thai anyone? I definitely see a trip to Apsara in the near future. Like I’ve done the last seven years I plunked down the hundred’n fifty bucks for the MotoGP Video Pass so I can watch all the Sunday races (well at least most of them) from the comfort of my own living room on Sunday morning at 8AM live from Europe, and if I’m really hungry for the insanity of watching the best-of-the-best top out at over 200mph I can get up at 3AM and watch live from Asia.
“The first official pre-season test takes place at the Sepang International Circuit, followed by the 2026 MotoGP launch in Kuala Lumpur on February 7, the second test from 21-22 February at the Buriram International Circuit in Thailand and then the Thai Grand Prix at the same venue from 27 February-1 March.” 1
A typical Saturday for me includes meeting friends for breakfast at some distant location (50 to 150 miles). We usually ride around Eastern Connecticut for an hour or two, dine, chat, ride toward home or to RAZEE for a visit, and then make it home around 3:30 – 4:00PM. Next (for me at least) it’s time to tune in to MotoGP for the Friday and Saturday practice and qualifying, and then the Saturday Sprint Race.
Let’s start with KTM. With all the troubling news last year regarding their financial woes some pro moto writers (who know a hell of a lot more than I do) speculated that KTM may have to drop out of MotoGP. NOT! Both the Red Bull Factory KTM Team and the Red Bull Tech3 teams showed off their new livery and the new 2026 RC16 bikes a couple of weeks ago. By the way, all the 2026 bikes will see their last year in 2026 as the motoGP world awaits 2027 and a new displacement requirement. The riders for KTM include Pedro Acosta (37) and Brad Binder (33) for the factory team, and Maverick Viñales (12) and Enea Bastianini (23) for the Tech3 team.
Next up, and probably still the favorites to win the 2026 Constructor Prize, is the six rider and bike lineup for Ducati. 2025 was a great year for some of the six Ducati riders. Marc Marquez (93 – Ducati Lenovo Team) and his kid brother Alex (Marquez)(72 – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) finished #1 and #2 in the 2025 World Championship, an amazing first ever 1/2 finish for any set of brothers in the history of the sport. Rookie of the year, Fermin Aldeguer (54 – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) had an amazing year for Ducati, finishing 8th overall and being the second youngest rider to win his first ever MotoGP Grand Prix race in Indonesia last October.
No one seems to be able to nail down the exact reason for Pecco Bagnaia’s (63 – Ducati Lenovo Team) poor showing in 2025. Bottom line: he was simply too slow and out of touch with his bike. He won the World Championship (two in-a-row) in 2022 and 2023, was barely beaten by an amazing Jorge Martin in 2024. 2025 was a disaster for Pecco who will hopefully make a comeback this year. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back again with Fabio Di Giannantonio (49) and Frankie Morbidelli (21) riding for their mentor and team owner Valentino Rossi who is said to be more involved in the day-to-day running of things in 2026.
Next up is Aprilia with four riders again this year. Jorge Martin (89) and Marco Bezzecchi (72) lead the Noale factory’s charge into 2026. Bezzecchi had a great year last year finishing 3rd overall breaking new ground for Aprilia. Jorge Martin, World Champion in 2024 (on a Ducati), was out for most of the 2025 campaign with some serious injuries. Both riders hope they can continue to move forward with the new RS-GP for 2026. Also for Aprilia is Trackhouse Racing’s two RS-GPs in the hands of Raul Fernandez (25) and Ai Ogura (79).
Honda has had a difficult couple of years trying to play catch up, but showed signs of improving performance near the end of the season last year. Luca Marini (10) and Joann Mir (36) return again for the factory Honda team, Honda HRC Castrol, riding the Honda RC213V for its final year before the new regulations kick in in 2027. Castrol LRC Honda will support two riders in 2026 as well. Veteran Johann Zarco (5) and Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira (11).
Yamaha, also caught up in the backdraft of a dominant Ducati factory, has made headway with their all new V4 engine for 2026.
“Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Have confirmed that the YZR-M1 machines will be powered by the V4 engine from the 2026 season onwards. This decision aligns with Yamaha’s intentions to transition, underlining the continuity and transparency of their engine development.” 2
The Yamaha Factory Team, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, will include returning 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo (20) and teammate Alex Rins (42), as well as the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team with veteran rider, Australian Jack Miller (43), and rookie rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (7) the first ever MotoGP rider from Türkiye.
That’s the line up for this year, and hopefully as things move forward with testing and racing I’ll have an update or two in the coming months.
1 MotoGP Digits and Data: 2026
2 Yamaha Press Release