Author Archives: PressBox

Yamaha has abandoned its long-used crossplane inline-four and switched the M1 to a V4 for the 2026 MotoGP season, a move framed internally as a shift from a contingency “plan B” to the primary strategy. Managing director Paolo Pavesio said the change was driven by the forthcoming 2027 technical regulations—notably a 50 mm reduction in front-fairing width and much tighter aerodynamic limits—that effectively leave an inline-four “no room for wings,” a position echoed by Monster Yamaha director Massimo Meregalli. While cylinder configuration is not explicitly banned, Yamaha concluded the V4 was the practical response to the new aero constraints and to prepare for the transition to an 850cc era that will follow the final year of 1000cc competition.

On track, Yamaha has already begun evaluating the V4: the new layout topped the Sepang shakedown day two timesheets with Jack Miller, and Fabio Quartararo finished as the fastest Yamaha at the end of the shakedown, about 0.5 seconds behind Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro. Toprak Razgatlioglu used the shakedown day to reacquaint himself with the circuit while Yamaha ran a structured test program across eight bikes to converge on an optimal package and supply equal equipment to all four riders. The factory plans to assess the V4 against the full 2026 grid during the Official Sepang test, and it has scheduled a first 850cc track run in private tests in early spring as parallel development of the smaller-displacement M1 continues.

Yamaha accelerated investment in personnel after slipping from title contention, hiring figures such as Max Bartolini and supporting a recovery that delivered a return to pole, a long-awaited podium and roughly doubled season points in 2025. Pavesio expects the V4 to bring more consistent race performance even if single-lap speed is initially lower, and he anticipates continued performance growth through 2026. By repositioning its technical strategy around a V4 architecture alongside ongoing 850 work, Yamaha has made a significant shift in engine development that could reshape competitive dynamics as teams adapt to the new regulations.

Fermín Aldeguer suffered a broken femur while training at the Aspar circuit in Valencia and has been ruled out of the Sepang preseason test (Feb 3–5). He joined Gresini’s Kuala Lumpur launch by video call to give a recovery update, saying his condition is improving “day by day” but that he must remain at home for rehabilitation and further medical checks. He will miss the Thailand season opener and does not expect to be back on the bike before the Brazil or Austin rounds in March, declining to set a firm comeback date until examinations show how his leg responds.

The injury has cost Aldeguer valuable preseason track time and disrupted his preparation for a second full MotoGP season after he won the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix and was named Rookie of the Year. Gresini will lose the development and race miles he would have gained in Sepang and the early rounds, while Ducati test rider Michele Pirro is his likely substitute while medical clearance is pending. Aldeguer’s timeline also contrasts with an earlier, more optimistic comment from Ducati chief Davide Tardozzi that a return for the opener was realistic, highlighting uncertainty about his readiness for the early rounds.

The setback also affects Aldeguer’s longer-term Ducati pathway. He signed a four‑year deal with Ducati in 2025 and helped Gresini to second place in the teams’ championship, positioning the satellite outfit as a near‑factory development route. Media reports linking Ducati to Pedro Acosta as a potential 2027 target have been framed as relevant to Aldeguer’s prospects for a future factory seat. For now, Gresini and Aldeguer are treating any return as conditional on ongoing rehabilitation and the results of further medical examinations. His recovery pace will determine his availability in the early rounds and how his Ducati trajectory evolves.

LCR Honda became the first Honda-supported team to unveil its 2026 liveries as it builds momentum ahead of Sepang testing. Johann Zarco will retain a Castrol-themed design, red, white, and green with new black and blue accents, while Diogo Moreira’s fairing switches to Pro Honda, ending LCR’s long association with Idemitsu on that bike.

Zarco, 35, arrives at Sepang under a multi-year LCR deal that runs through 2027 and guarantees parity of technical spec and updates with the factory team. He will start his on-track program at the official Sepang test on February 3–5. Moreira, 21, the reigning Moto2 champion, signed a multi-year deal with HRC to race an RC213V in MotoGP and will carry Pro Honda as his title partner. Unlike predecessor Somkiat Chantra, Moreira will have access to factory-spec machinery, and LCR confirmed his full Pro Honda livery will appear on track at Sepang after an initial shakedown run in black.

At the Sepang shakedown, Moreira showed encouraging pace, improving through the session and posting a late best lap of 1:58.338. That time put him ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu, with KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa splitting them; one account placed Moreira sixth overall while another listed him eighth. Zarco’s new Castrol livery is also due to appear during the Sepang test. The preseason will finish with a final Buriram test on Feb 21–22, ahead of the Thai season opener on Feb 27–Mar 1. The combined sponsorship updates, visual rebrand, and early running data will help shape LCR Honda’s preparations as official testing gets underway.

Late January reporting prompted a late-season MotoGP rider reshuffle narrative after Motorsport.com reported that Fabio Quartararo had agreed a two-year move from Yamaha to Honda tied to upcoming 2027 regulations. His manager, Thomas Maubant, denied any signed agreement and said only discussions, including with Honda, were ongoing. Some outlets framed the item as confirmed, while others described it as speculative or media-amplified and timed alongside the opening tests.

Those reports sparked speculation about domino effects across factory seats. Media suggested a Quartararo-to-Honda switch could imperil Honda riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini, both contracted through 2026, for next season’s line-up and could free a Yamaha seat that some outlets linked to Jorge Martín, who has sought to leave Aprilia.

Separate reports from Diario AS and other outlets associate Pedro Acosta with Ducati alongside Marc Márquez, with Márquez reported to be close to a two-year extension. Coverage noted that such moves could threaten Francesco Bagnaia’s factory position and potentially open a path for Maverick Viñales into Acosta’s current KTM seat. These reports were presented as unconfirmed in many accounts.

The transfer talk ran alongside on-track developments at the Sepang shakedown, where Aleix Espargaró topped the times, underscoring that manufacturers continued work on machinery even as market stories circulated. Joan Mir, reflecting on Honda’s 2025 progress under technical director Romano Albesiano, said Honda now understands what it needs and hopes to be “fighting for something” in 2026. Mir and Marini have not yet signed for the planned switch to 850cc machinery.

Overall, coverage this week centered on unconfirmed transfer reports and potential domino effects across factory seats as teams positioned themselves ahead of 2027 regulations. However, several elements remain provisional and disputed by managers or treated as speculative by some outlets.

Gresini launched its 2026 campaign at a presentation in Kuala Lumpur held after the Sepang shakedown, confirming BK8 as title sponsor. Alex Márquez attended the event, but teammate Fermin Aldeguer missed it after breaking his left femur in Valencia in January. Both riders remain on Gresini’s roster for 2026 and are out of contract at the end of the year.

Márquez will ride a factory-spec Ducati GP26 in 2026, his first factory-spec machinery since 2020. The move reflects Ducati’s expansion of GP26 allocations to four bikes. Aldeguer is set to run the year-old 2025-spec GP25, confirming a two-tier setup within the team.

Márquez’s upgrade follows a strong 2025 in which he won at Jerez, Barcelona and Sepang and finished runner-up in the Championship. Aldeguer was Rookie of the Year after a win in Indonesia. Transfer-market chatter linking Márquez to KTM alongside Maverick Viñales was mentioned at the launch but remains speculative.

Gresini confirmed its immediate testing schedule around the official Sepang pre-season tests on February 3–5 and a second test on February 21–22, ahead of the season opener at Buriram on 1 March 2026. Márquez is scheduled to run the GP26 at the first Sepang test, while Aldeguer will miss that session as he continues rehabilitation. However, the latter is in contention for the February 21–22 test and the season opener.

The launch tied together sporting momentum, sponsorship continuity and near-term logistics as Gresini builds toward the opening rounds. With a string of wins since switching to Ducati in 2022 and a second-place finish in the 2025 teams’ standings, the outfit enters 2026 aiming to convert that form into another competitive campaign.