Red Bull KTM Tech3 ran a single bike at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain in Jerez after Maverick Viñales missed the weekend while recovering from corrective shoulder surgery. Team statements said a displaced screw was discovered after the US Grand Prix in Austin and forced Viñales to withdraw for surgery, with some reports describing the screw as displaced from an earlier operation and others linking it to his Sachsenring crash. The team said the No. 12 bike would not be on track and that Viñales was targeting a comeback at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans on May 10, 2025.

Pol Espargaró had been penciled in to replace Viñales but suffered a hand injury in the lead-up to Jerez, leaving Enea Bastianini as Tech3’s sole entry for the weekend. Bastianini arrived at the first European round on the back of a third-place Sprint finish in Austin, and the team said it hoped to build on that momentum.

Tech3 management, including CEO Guenther Steiner, described the one-bike plan as a short-term interim operational adjustment to concentrate resources while managing rider fitness and recovery timelines, and said the twin setbacks forced rapid changes to race operations.

Nicolo Bulega wants a full-time MotoGP ride in 2027, but his pathway is far from certain. He is Ducati’s test and reserve rider and publicly insists he deserves a 2027 MotoGP seat, and Ducati does not share that view, creating a public disagreement about his immediate future. Bulega made his MotoGP debut at the end of 2025 as Marc Márquez’s injury replacement and scored two Sunday points in Portugal and Valencia, the only Sunday points Ducati scored while Márquez was out. His contract with Aruba expires this year, and several reports say most Desmosedici seats already appear booked as Ducati pursues different plans, which shrinks his realistic MotoGP options unless Ducati changes course or other teams open places.

Commentators have pointed to alternative routes, including a move linked to Trackhouse and interest from Aprilia. An article suggested Aprilia should target the Ducati-backed Bulega for 2027, potentially routed through Trackhouse, noting his relatively faster adaptation to Pirelli tires as a technical asset and as a way to deny Ducati a development resource. Journalist Giovanni Zamagni has suggested Trackhouse boss Davide Brivio could champion Bulega and that Bulega might line up alongside Enea Bastianini at Trackhouse. A factory Ducati seat looks closed since Marc Márquez and Pedro Acosta are signed for 2027, and VR46 appears unlikely because Fermin Aldeguer is locked in and Fabio Di Giannantonio is expected to keep his seat. Bulega has been linked with Gresini, but Zamagni and others argue Gresini would probably avoid running two rookies in 2027. His manager has said offers are limited because Ducati-affiliated seats are largely occupied by VR46 and Gresini. The market is crowded, with Joan Mir, Luca Marini and several Moto2 prospects also in contention, and Ai Ogura confirmed at Yamaha for 2027.

MotoGP will undergo a major technical overhaul in 2027, with 850cc engines, reduced aerodynamics, a ban on ride-height devices and a switch to Pirelli tires, changes that could reshape team priorities and rider lineups. Bulega has been working on Ducati’s 850cc development while racing in WorldSBK, and his WorldSBK form this season has been strong: he opened the campaign with six wins in six races and leads the championship. One report noted he is not due to test Ducati’s new 850cc bike until at least June. Ultimately, whether Bulega moves to MotoGP in 2027 will depend on final team decisions, seat availability and how the 2027 technical changes affect team strategy.

Yamaha has agreed to sign Ai Ogura for the 2027 MotoGP season, pairing the 25-year-old with Jorge Martin in the factory team and replacing Alex Rins, Motorsport reporter Oriol Puigdemont and other outlets have reported. Yamaha is delaying any public announcement while the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association (MSMA) and MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group finalize a five-year commercial contract.

Ogura won the 2024 Moto2 title and is in his second MotoGP campaign with Trackhouse Racing (Aprilia) after making his premier-class debut in 2025. He sits seventh in the championship after three rounds, with best finishes of fifth in Thailand and fifth in Brazil; reporters say he lost a podium opportunity to a technical issue and a mechanical failure in Austin ended his most recent race.

The Yamaha decision has triggered a wider rider-market reshuffle. The signing reduces options for Luca Marini, his camp has been told he is effectively ruled out for Yamaha, and it increases the likelihood Raul Fernández will remain with Trackhouse as that team will have a vacancy to fill. Reports indicate Honda’s (HRC) works squad appears set to pair Fabio Quartararo with David Alonso, sources say LCR seats are effectively sealed, and Dani Holgado has confirmed a move to Gresini Racing on a Ducati. Yamaha had considered promoting Izan Guevara or calling up Toprak Razgatlioglu from Pramac, but Razgatlioglu’s reported reluctance to leave Pramac and other market movements left Ogura as the chosen signing. Guevara enters the season with strong recent form and Yamaha has described him as having “explosive” premier-class potential.

Pedro Acosta’s rise in MotoGP has been driven as much by a change in mentality as by upgrades to KTM’s RC16, and KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer credited Acosta’s increased maturity, the RC16 improvements and a new “get what you can” mindset that abandoned an all-or-nothing style. Acosta summed up the shift: “I make fewer mistakes and use my brain more.” The revised approach produced more consistent fourth- to sixth-place finishes rather than risky attempts at wins.

That change translated into results on track. After three rounds Acosta produced his strongest start in the premier class and became the first KTM rider to lead the championship after winning a Sprint and finishing second at the Thailand Grand Prix. He secured his debut Sprint victory this season, has two Grand Prix podiums so far, has scored points in all six races alongside Jorge Martín, and turned an eighth-place Sprint at the USA Grand Prix into a Sunday podium. After six races he sits third in the standings, 21 points behind leader Marco Bezzecchi as he heads to his home round at Jerez on April 24-26.

Observers still point to limitations in KTM machinery that make a title unlikely this season, but the combination of results, mentality and the prospect of an Acosta and Marc Márquez pairing at Ducati has raised talk of a possible master-versus-apprentice rivalry should Acosta get a competitive bike. Acosta called teaming with the nine-time world champion Marc Márquez a “dream come true,” and Oscar Piastri echoed the sentiment, saying he wants to see Acosta “on a bike that can compete” and calling a title fight between Acosta and Márquez “really cool” to watch. The reported Ducati move was said to have been agreed before the season but remains unannounced while a commercial agreement for 2027 between manufacturers and MotoGP is unresolved.

Liberty Media has proposed introducing F1-style permanent reserve riders in MotoGP as part of a new commercial framework, arguing that factories should name one or two reserves who travel to every round and can step in for factory or satellite teams. The proposal is framed as a response to an expanded calendar and a heavier weekend format (Friday practice, a Saturday sprint and a Sunday grand prix) that organizers say has increased injuries and produced prolonged absences — cited examples include Marc Márquez, Jorge Martín and the pre-season injury to Fermin Aldeguer — and is intended to reduce reliance on ad-hoc stand-ins and improve competitiveness and readiness. The idea remains under discussion rather than a confirmed rule change.

Proponents have proposed mandating manufacturer reserves, possibly two riders per brand with one slot reserved for a young rider, and argue such a system could give Moto2 stars meaningful race-weekend exposure and become a pivotal development route if cost and logistical hurdles are addressed. Supporters say a formal reserve pool would cover frequent injuries, avoid situations where full-time riders cannot be replaced and mirror Formula 1’s permanent reserve approach, while Liberty positions the plan alongside other F1-style changes it has introduced since taking control in 2025.

Officials, teams and riders raised multiple practical and commercial objections. Manufacturers currently rely on test riders — such as Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, the Espargaró brothers, Ducati’s Michele Pirro and Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori — who focus on bike development rather than being maintained race-ready; Pirro’s best substitute result in the last decade was fourth at the 2018 Valencia Grand Prix and he was over a minute off the lead when deputizing in Thailand, while Savadori scored points twice in 2025 with a best finish of ninth at the wet French Grand Prix. Critics point to the lack of MotoGP simulators, the need for extensive seat time, likely changes to weekend formats, riders’ reluctance to travel without a guaranteed chance to race (Alex Rins said “I wouldn’t be willing to do so”), and scheduling clashes with World Superbike — exemplified by the Nicolò Bulega case — as major obstacles. Ducati sporting director Davide Tardozzi publicly rejected the proposal as “not viable,” and teams warned they would be unwilling to risk their lead SBK or MotoGP riders serving as reserves. The proposal’s fate will hinge on whether manufacturers, teams and series officials can reconcile the operational, financial and talent-development trade-offs involved.

Ducati has decided to move 21-year-old Fermin Aldeguer from Gresini to Valentino Rossi’s VR46 squad for 2027, a manufacturer-driven reshuffle that includes factory machinery, a new livery and a contract option extended through 2028. Aldeguer, the 2025 Rookie of the Year who finished eighth overall and scored a Grand Prix victory in Indonesia, was reportedly denied a promised factory bike for 2026 and is said to have preferred to stay at Gresini. VR46 team principal Uccio Salucci confirmed interest at the United States GP, calling Aldeguer “a fantastic rider,” while Ducati’s activation of VR46’s factory-supported option for 2027 was a decisive factor in the move.

Gresini owner Nadia Padovani reacted strongly to the transfer, with sources saying the switch left her team needing two riders for 2027 after Alex Márquez’s expected departure to KTM. Padovani publicly rejected the idea that Ducati could force Nicolo Bulega onto Gresini, saying she would only sign Bulega if he were the best option; Bulega has been linked to MotoGP interest and is noted as a 26-year-old World Superbike front-runner with a dominant start to his season. Faced with a constrained pool of suitable replacements and limited manufacturer alternatives, Gresini briefly considered leaving Ducati and held talks with Honda and Aprilia, but after assessing realistic options moved toward renewing its Ducati deal.

Reports name Enea Bastianini and Moto2 prospect Daniel Holgado among riders linked to Gresini’s reorganization. The episode underscored the growing influence of manufacturers in shaping satellite-team lineups and the strategic value of factory support: Ducati reportedly mediated the rivalry between the teams as shifting alliances and contract timing reshaped bargaining power, and observers noted that a single high-profile rider movement can force rapid strategy changes in a market where top-level riders are scarce and factory backing remains a decisive advantage in MotoGP’s satellite ecosystem.

Aprilia has made a commanding start to the 2026 MotoGP season, emerging as the biggest improver and shifting the championship balance away from Ducati. The RS-GP26’s race pace, Aprilia Racing’s three consecutive grand prix victories — all by Marco Bezzecchi — and the team leading the riders’, constructors’ and teams’ standings have underlined the turnaround; Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola even declared the marque has “the best bike.” Sprint races and qualifying have remained tighter, but Aprilia’s race pace and consistency have quickly made the team a serious championship threat.

Marco Bezzecchi has been the standout performer, leading every lap of the three grands prix he contested and scoring 81 of a possible 111 points through the first three rounds — a 57-point increase on his 2025 tally. That total places him four points clear of Jorge Martin (81 to 77) heading into the Spanish GP at Jerez (April 24–26), although some reports listed Martin as the points leader on 77 after three rounds. Jorge Martin has nonetheless shown strong race form, collecting 59 points across the last two rounds, recording one Sprint win and two second-place finishes. KTM’s Pedro Acosta sits an early third with 60 points, up 44 on 2025, while Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez produced a double rostrum at Buriram and is +35 year‑on‑year; Ai Ogura is +12 despite a mechanical retirement in Austin and a technical problem at COTA that denied what would have been an Aprilia one‑two‑three. Aprilia have taken four of the six races so far when sprints are included.

The early surge has coincided with a notable downturn for Ducati and several established riders. Sources describe Ducati as struggling to mount an immediate response despite recent championship success (Francesco Bagnaia 2022–23, Jorge Martin 2024 and Marc Marquez 2025). Fabio Di Giannantonio is the best-placed Ducati after three rounds in fourth and is +6 on his 2025 tally, while Bagnaia is roughly 50 points down year-on-year. Reigning champion Marc Marquez has lost about 41–42 points after a technical non-score in Thailand and a crash in the COTA Sprint; Alex Marquez’s decline is reported at roughly 58–59 points. With 19 races still to run, the standings can evolve, but Aprilia’s early consistency, the RS-GP26’s rideability and riders’ growing confidence have already reshaped the championship picture.

Marc Márquez’s weekend at the United States Grand Prix at COTA was defined more by penalties, aero and injury issues than by his finishing position. A Sprint crash with Fabio Di Giannantonio earned him a mandatory long‑lap penalty — a sanction Márquez said resulted from a risky pass attempt — that cost him exactly 2.505 seconds when taken on lap 4 and dropped him to 11th early in the race. He recovered to fifth after an extended scrap with Enea Bastianini, finishing just 0.143 seconds clear of the Italian. Márquez said rivals “increase the intensity” when they race him and that Sprint mistakes and first‑lap penalties carry over to the main race.

Aerodynamics and “dirty air” compounded Márquez’s problems at COTA. He told reporters being stuck in dirty air made it “practically impossible” to ride competitively and estimated the effect at roughly a second per lap. The race also underlined wider technical gaps: Aprilia completed a one-two with Marco Bezzecchi (who won, Aprilia’s third straight factory win) and Jorge Martin, while Ducati staff acknowledged tire-wear problems at COTA and introduced short-term Aprilia-style rear aero and leg wings.

Ducati technical staff and analysts warned the team is playing catch-up after Aprilia’s winter step. Team principal Davide Tardozzi said further engineering updates are expected by Jerez as Ducati tries to close the gap. Tardozzi added Márquez was “not in good shape” following shoulder injuries sustained in Indonesia and will use the break before Jerez to work on his shoulder. Márquez said, “It’s me who’s missing, not the bike,” complained he lacked feel in the opening laps, that fresh tires made the Desmosedici feel “aggressive,” and that he needed six to ten laps to ride competitively. Despite showing strong mid-race pace — Tardozzi highlighted he could gain roughly eight tenths over 5–6 laps — Márquez sat fifth in the championship, 36 points adrift of the leader, and warned a turnaround was not guaranteed as he prepares to focus on starts and arm recovery before Jerez.