’2026 MotoGP bike not performing badly but engine needs more power’
Yamaha has conceded that its new V4 MotoGP engine is struggling for power after the opening pre-season test of the year at Sepang. The Iwata-based brand was in the headlines for all the wrong seasons in Malaysia, where it finished last among MotoGP’s five manufacturers and more than a second off the outright pace. On […]
What happened at MotoGP’s official season launch in Kuala Lumpur
MotoGP staged its second-ever season launch event in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, less than a month before the opening round of the year in Thailand. After breaking new ground with a similar joint event in Bangkok last year, MotoGP brought all teams and riders together to the heart of Malaysia’s capital for a special event […]
Pedro Acosta rates Sepang MotoGP test “six out of 10” despite KTM gains
Pedro Acosta would rate his Sepang MotoGP test appearance a six out of 10, as he continues to evaluate where KTM stands in the competitive order ahead of the 2026 season. The Austrian manufacturer heads into the upcoming campaign on a much stronger footing than last year, buoyed by an intensive development push over the winter. […]
Honda’s Joan Mir believes Ducati has given rivals a «reality check» in Sepang
Joan Mir and Luca Marini feel Honda has improved its MotoGP bike across the board over the winter, but they concede that the Japanese manufacturer still faces the same gap to Ducati as last year. Following a strong end to its 2025 campaign, Honda has managed to unlock more pace in the off-season, with Aleix […]
How Ducati sent a warning to its MotoGP rivals at Sepang test
There were widespread smiles in most MotoGP garages when 2026 testing got under way – leaving Yamaha aside due to reliability issues with its new V4 engine – but this all changed on Thursday. Ducati got serious and left its rivals thinking more about 2027 than the upcoming season. And that was with reigning world […]
Alex Marquez fastest on final day as Yamaha returns
Alex Marquez ended MotoGP’s Sepang pre-season test at the top on Thursday, as Yamaha returned to action after resolving its recent engine concerns. Gresini rider Marquez set a best time of 1m56.402s on his factory-spec Ducati GP26, comfortably eclipsing Joan Mir’s Wednesday benchmark of 1m56.874s. His effort was also just a fraction shy of the […]
«Angry» Toprak Razgatlioglu losing motivation after struggling in Sepang MotoGP test
Toprak Razgatlioglu admitted he is “angry” and losing motivation after struggling to get up to speed with his MotoGP bike in the Sepang test. Reigning World Superbike champion Razgatlioglu has been accumulating miles in official pre-season testing in Malaysia over the past two weeks, gathering vital information for his highly anticipated MotoGP debut with Pramac. Although […]
Francesco Bagnaia signals factory-team priority as MotoGP future questions linger
Francesco Bagnaia has strongly suggested that a satellite Ducati seat holds little appeal to him, as speculation continues over where he could head in MotoGP next year. Bagnaia’s contract with Ducati expires at the end of the current season, and it is widely believed that he may not be retained by the factory squad for […]
Alex Marquez edges Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in Sepang race simulations
MotoGP riders used the closing day of the Sepang test in Malaysia to focus on race simulations, and among Ducati’s contingent it was Alex Marquez who posted the strongest sustained pace, ahead of both Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez. In terms of outright times, Ducati once again appeared strong, with four GP26 machines finishing inside […]