At the Sepang pre‑season test in early February, Yamaha’s new V4 YZR‑M1 program was disrupted by two incidents. Fabio Quartararo crashed late on the opening day at Turn 5, fracturing the middle finger of his right hand. In addition, his bike suffered an unexplained engine/electronics stoppage and was left dead on track, with engineers were unable to determine a definitive cause that evening.

With safety paramount, Yamaha closed its factory and Pramac garages and kept all six Yamaha machines, including those of Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Augusto Fernández, and Andrea Dovizioso in the pits. This gave breathing room to the technical teams from Japan and Italy to carry out on‑site inspections and further factory diagnostics.

Technical director Max Bartolini and team management described the halt as a precaution while they sought confirmation from the factory. Paddock reporting said similar issues had been seen in earlier shakedowns, and some sources suggested overheating as a possible factor; others described the fault as an electronics stoppage, so accounts varied on the precise nature of the failure.

Overnight collaboration between Yamaha’s Italian and Japanese engineers produced a temporary fix that allowed the V4 machines to return to track on the final day of the Sepang test. The bikes were reported to be running with reduced power/RPM as a precaution. On the re‑entry morning Rins, Miller and Razgatlıoğlu completed a combined 74 laps, with Rins the quickest of the trio and 12th overall, 1.178 seconds off the morning pace set by Álex Márquez. Yamaha confirmed Quartararo would not ride again at Sepang and would return to Europe for medical checks. He is expected to target the next test in Buriram on February 21–22.

The interruption cost Yamaha valuable setup and development time on a completely redesigned V4 project introduced in 2025 and intended to run through the 2026 regulations year. Engineers stressed the importance of factory‑validated fixes before resuming full program activity. Team bosses including Paolo Pavesio and Massimo Meregalli said rider safety guided the decision to pause running, while the overnight fix underlined rapid mobilization between Yamaha’s bases to keep the V4 program on schedule. Although running resumed with mitigations, Yamaha’s Sepang test plan remained affected until diagnostics were completed and a clear, safe path forward was confirmed.

On the eve of the official Sepang test, media attention centered on rider-market speculation after Honda revealed a largely unchanged RC213V and readied Joan Mir and Luca Marini for on-track work. Fabio Quartararo — the 2021 world champion and current Yamaha rider — repeatedly denied any signed deal with Honda for 2027, saying he and his camp were ‘talking with teams’ and that Honda was one of those parties. He stressed nothing was finalized, that he had no deadline to decide his future, and that the choice was ‘not about money, it’s about winning again.’ His manager, Albert Valera, publicly pushed back on several transfer reports circulating in the paddock.

Quartararo also used the Sepang setting to outline technical concerns. He has tested Yamaha’s new M1 V4 since mid-2025, says the bike requires a different riding style and so far has not matched last year’s cornering, and warned engineers with little V4 experience will need time to bring the package forward. Team principal Massimo Meregalli confirmed Yamaha had not begun renewal talks. Media outlets reported a separate two-year, €15 million offer for Quartararo, which was presented alongside the known 2024 two-year Yamaha deal reportedly worth about €12 million per year. Quartararo cited the emotional cost of his Silverstone retirement as motivation to prioritize race-winning potential over contract value and described the upcoming three-day shakedown as crucial for understanding the new bike.

Within Honda’s camp, Luca Marini said he was ‘constantly talking with Honda’ and expected speculation to ease once on-track testing began, while Joan Mir acknowledged pressure around contract timing but welcomed recent bike progress after encouraging private test runs. Honda and LCR have confirmed multi-year LCR deals for Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira, leaving the possibility of one remaining factory seat and intensifying positioning for 2027. Other high-profile links — notably Jorge Martin to Yamaha and Pedro Acosta to Ducati — were reported by some outlets and disputed by others. With moves unconfirmed, Quartararo’s 2027 destination remained unresolved as the Sepang test was about to begin.

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.

Day 1 at the Sepang shakedown produced a busy opening to the 2026 MotoGP pre-season. Honda’s Aleix Espargaro topped the day with a provisional 1:58.091, roughly half a second clear of the field. Pramac Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu made a high‑profile MotoGP debut as the fastest rookie and fourth overall with 1:59.647. LCR rookie Diogo Moreira overcame an early mechanical issue to finish inside the top ten in 2:00.894 (some sources vary on his exact placing). Next, KTM’s Pol Espargaro and KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa ran prominently near the front. Yamaha test riders showed strong top speed, as Augusto Fernández recorded 327.3 km/h, while Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was the last into the 1:59s. Teams evaluated new aero and components in the pitlane; visual updates included Ducati’s new Lenovo livery and several Yamaha M1s fitted with rear aero.

On Day 2, the pace tightened. Aleix Espargaro improved in the morning running to a provisional 1:58.066 on the RC213V, about 0.512 seconds clear of Pol Espargaro. Toprak was third, 1.079 seconds off the morning benchmark and roughly half a second quicker than his Day‑1 time. Jack Miller completed his first laps of the year, while Moreira remained about 2.8 seconds adrift of the leader. Ducati and Aprilia continued to log laps through their test riders. Pirro was 4.934s off the leader, and Lorenzo Savadori 9.972s adrift, as the session, scheduled from 10 am to 6 pm, ran with limited live timing, so times remained provisional.

Across both days, the shakedown functioned more as a technical preview than a definitive performance order. Manufacturers tested aero variations, new engine hardware, and multiple chassis configurations; Yamaha’s V4 program and rear‑aero packages drew particular attention. Several teams ran expanded bike counts. The return of KTM test rider Mika Kallio and planned LCR livery unveilings added visual cues, as teams used long runs and component evaluations to prepare for the official early‑February Sepang test. The shakedown established early benchmarks and highlighted items to monitor as teams moved into the main preseason program.

Fabio Quartararo has signed a two-year contract with Honda that will begin under the new 850cc regulations in 2027. He will leave Yamaha at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season. The 26-year-old 2021 world champion made his MotoGP debut with Yamaha in 2019 and departs after recording 11 victories, 32 podiums, and 21 pole positions for the manufacturer. Despite a contract extension from Yamaha in April 2024 that met his financial demands, Quartararo has not won since the 2022 German Grand Prix and has managed only four podiums since 2023. He cited Yamaha’s lack of progress on its inline-four development as the decisive factor in his decision to move on and opted to leave before testing Yamaha’s new V4 for 2026.

Honda’s announcement locks in the factory team to field Quartararo under the incoming 2027 regulations, though the exact seat within Honda has not been confirmed. Joan Mir and Luca Marini were named in reports as possible vacancies because both are out of contract. The timing of the move was explicitly tied to the sport’s technical reset for 2027, making the regulatory change a major factor in the transfer. Motorsport reporting that preceded the announcement had framed a Quartararo-to-Honda switch as likely to reshape the rider market, with reporter Uri Puigdemont and others noting how an early high-profile move can accelerate negotiations across the paddock.

The deal makes the 2026 season a transitional or “shakedown” year for Quartararo and other riders as teams prepare for the new rules. However, it represents a significant personnel loss for Yamaha. Only a handful of riders, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Diogo Moreira, and Johann Zarco, have publicly confirmed contracts for 2027, underscoring how a confirmed signing of Quartararo could trigger downstream moves. Honda presented the contract as definitive for 2027–2028, framing the next chapters of the championship as a period of notable technical and market change across MotoGP.