Yamaha will become the exclusive motorcycle supplier for the FIM Moto3 World Championship starting in 2028, in a six-year deal through 2033 that will replace the current multi-manufacturer format. The announcement came Thursday at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen. Moto3 currently uses 250cc four-stroke prototype machines from Honda and KTM, but the class will be standardized around a Yamaha bike under the new plan.

MotoGP chief sporting officer Carlos Ezpeleta said the change is aimed at improving safety, creating more equal competition and lifting racing quality, while also cutting costs to about half of current levels. He said the move should not weaken Moto3’s status as a world championship, pointing to Moto2 as an example that a spec-engine formula can still produce a respected and competitive series. The new Yamaha prototype is expected to weigh 120 kilograms and produce about 90 horsepower, with one report saying it will be built around Yamaha’s R7 engine.

Yamaha said the new Moto3 machine will be a racing prototype based on its CP2 production platform and re-engineered for Grand Prix competition with a better power-to-weight ratio and a full-size chassis for young riders. Prototype testing is scheduled for later in 2026, with a formal unveiling planned for 2027. A lower-spec version is expected to be introduced in the Moto3 Junior World Championship in 2029, and MotoGP and Yamaha are also discussing possible use of the platform in other regional championships as part of the development path for young riders.

MotoGP has enacted new pit-lane entry rules to close a loophole exposed by Marc Márquez’s rain-affected Jerez sprint in April. Márquez crashed at the final corner of the sprint, cut across grass and the pit-entry white lines to reach the pit lane, switched to a wet-setup Ducati and went on to win the sprint without receiving a penalty. Race Direction and members of the paddock judged the maneuver to fall into a regulatory grey area because existing weekend guidance only prohibited crossing the inner pit line, and Márquez had not exceeded pit-lane speed limits, ignored marshals, or stopped a non-running bike.

The FIM Grand Prix Commission and MotoGP race authorities moved the Pit Lane Procedures from interim guidance into the formal regulations, a change adopted at the Commission meeting in Balaton Park and brought into force from the Hungarian Grand Prix. Race Direction had issued interim clarifying guidance ahead of the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, and the formal wording was aligned with Race Direction protocol.

The revised rule requires all pit-lane entries and exits to use the designated entry and exit point and the route defined by the broken white line and the official pit-lane access road, and it mandates that riders cross the official pit-lane entry timing point when entering or exiting. The regulation explicitly forbids crossing the solid white lines at pit entry and exit. Stewards are empowered to penalize riders who fail to cross the broken line, do not use the pit-lane entry road in its entirety, or miss the timing point. MotoGP said the change is intended to close the Jerez loophole, restore fairness in pit procedures and provide clearer, enforceable guidance to teams, riders and officials moving forward.

Pedro Acosta said KTM still had too much work to do on performance and reliability after its strong showing in Hungary and before the Brno weekend, where he said he would approach the race carefully. He said he still felt like the only KTM rider consistently carrying the manufacturer, that the rest of KTM’s lineup needed to improve to speed development, and that the bike was still too far from regularly fighting for wins or the championship. He also backed MotoGP’s removal of front-lowering devices and called the proposed move to 850cc engines “a step backward,” saying riders should make the difference instead of machines becoming easier to manage.

KTM is also using Acosta in its development work for the 2027 MotoGP cycle. He is set to test KTM’s new 850cc RC16 on Pirelli tires in Brno on Monday as part of preparation for the 2027 technical rules, even though he is widely expected to move to Ducati next season. Acosta said he had not been told much about the test but would take part if asked, while KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer said Acosta was the team’s fastest rider and best benchmark for feedback on the next-generation machine.

The Brno session will be the first chance for current MotoGP riders to try the 2027-style bikes and Pirelli tires, and KTM and Honda are using active riders for the test. Acosta is expected to be joined by Dani Pedrosa or Pol Espargaró, who already work in KTM’s development program, while Honda is taking a similar route with Joan Mir and Luca Marini on its own 2027 prototype. Acosta’s selection came after he retired from fifth place in the Czech Grand Prix because of a last-lap technical problem, and another Pirelli test is planned at the Red Bull Ring in September.

Pedro Acosta demanded answers from KTM after repeated technical failures at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno left him with nothing to show for a weekend that began with promising pace. Acosta said the team needed to send the bike back to the factory to find out why the same problem kept happening, and the run of issues ended his streak of scoring in every race so far this season.

The trouble started in Friday practice, when his KTM broke down. On Saturday, a problem with the rear holeshot device on his bike distracted him through the Sprint, and Acosta said he crashed on lap 6 while trying to free it. He started the race from eighth and said his pace was still good enough to fight for a top-five finish, before apologizing to the team and calling the problem a mechanical-sport issue that needed analysis.

Acosta said the Sunday failure was the same as the Friday issue. He was running in fifth place and managing front tire pressure by dropping behind Fabio Di Giannantonio and then Joan Mir before his KTM RC16 cut out on the final lap at Turn 1. Acosta said the race lasted one lap too long and insisted KTM should provide answers. Earlier on Friday, after finishing sixth as the top KTM rider, he had also criticized the team’s one-bike setup as a safety concern if a crash or mechanical problem happened during practice.

Ai Ogura set the pace at Brno on Friday, clocking a 1:51.735 to lead practice ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Seven riders beat the old lap record in the session, and the field was tightly packed, with 19 riders separated by less than one second.

The form carried into Sunday’s warm-up, where Fermin Aldeguer topped the session. Marc Marquez was the only other rider besides Aldeguer to post a lap in the 1:52 range. Di Giannantonio was third, followed by Pedro Acosta, Jack Miller and Ogura in sixth. Diogo Moreira, Raul Fernandez, Enea Bastianini and Fabio Quartararo completed the top 10.

Away from the Czech Grand Prix action, MotoGP and the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association reached an agreement on the championship’s 2027-31 framework after nearly a year of negotiations. The deal was the first time the series and its five manufacturers jointly signed off on the sport’s future direction, and it includes a one-bike limit in practice, less practice time and stricter enforcement of team personnel business hours. Ducati’s Gigi Dall’Igna said he expected 2027 rider signings to be announced soon, while Jorge Martin apologized after a first-corner crash in Hungary and Alex Marquez returned to competition one month after a heavy crash in Barcelona, saying he felt surprisingly good.

Marco Bezzecchi was suspended from Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix after MotoGP stewards ruled that his conduct during Saturday’s sprint in Brno breached championship regulations and was prejudicial to the interests of the sport. The penalty ended his weekend before the main race.

The incident came after Bezzecchi crashed at Turn 3 while running fifth with fewer than two laps left in the sprint. Marshals were recovering his Aprilia from the gravel when, according to stewards, one marshal may have accidentally twisted the throttle and revved the bike. Stewards said Bezzecchi pushed marshals who were trying to move the motorcycle, and video showed him pushing and slapping a marshal. MotoGP held a stewards hearing on Saturday night and upheld the suspension, while Aprilia said it retained the right to appeal.

Bezzecchi entered Sunday leading Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin by 15 points, after the sprint added five points for Martin. Martin was also set to serve two long-lap penalties from the Balaton Park incident. Bezzecchi said he could not explain why he has been more competitive in Sunday races than in sprint races, noting four wins in eight Sunday races this season but only two sprint podiums and four sprint DNFs.

Marc Marquez’s Brno weekend was marked by strong speed and renewed concern about his recovery, as he said opening practice gave him the “best feeling of the season” before two crashes left him managing the rest of Friday. He topped FP1, then finished fifth in the afternoon session with a 1:51.988 lap that secured direct access to Q2. Marquez said he had pushed too hard and suggested he might have been better off settling for 10th place than overextending himself, while also setting targets of the first two rows in qualifying and top-five finishes in both the sprint and the main race.

The crashes came at Turn 7 in the morning and Turn 11 later in the day, with the second incident damaging the front of his bike. Marquez said the Brno surface and layout put more strain on his recovering right arm than the Balaton track had, and he linked the mistakes to how he was managing energy in left-hand corners while recovering from injury. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi joked that the crashes were “stupid mistakes,” said Marquez was pushing the front of the bike too far, and added that he was still not fully recovered.

Concerns about Marquez’s condition continued after the sprint, where he finished third, 0.794 seconds behind winner Francesco Bagnaia and behind second-place Ai Ogura. Neil Hodgson said Marquez’s body language in parc ferme suggested fatigue, and questioned whether Marquez was simply conserving energy for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Marquez said he was happy with third place, but Hodgson said the discussion was framed by the shoulder surgery recovery and by the sense that Brno was testing his physical condition.

Maverick Vinales says he is still waiting for KTM to clarify his MotoGP future after the manufacturer first told him he would have a factory seat for 2027 before changing direction. He says he has received mixed messages about whether KTM sees him as a factory rider or a Tech3 rider, and a contract clause prevents him from exploring other options until June 30. Vinales says he turned down another team while waiting for a clear answer and would rather retire than move to World Superbikes if KTM does not keep him.

The Spaniard, who joined Tech3 for the 2025 season after leaving Aprilia, says shoulder injuries and surgery in late March have slowed his recovery and limited his riding time. He has scored only six points this season, learned through media reports that KTM had denied him a test of its 2027 bike at Brno, and confirmed he will not take part in KTM’s 850cc test after the race there. Vinales wants a firm decision before the end of June and hopes to prove himself once he is fully fit.

KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer said the team understands Vinales’ frustration and is using the extra time to judge the best rider combination for Tech3. Beirer said Vinales remains one of the leading candidates if his recovery and performance continue to improve. Vinales was 12th fastest in Friday practice at Brno and the second-best KTM RC16 rider behind Pedro Acosta, who was sixth, while journalist Manuel Pecino reported that Vinales has been given three more races to prove he deserves to remain in KTM’s plans.

MotoGP has secured a landmark five-year commercial agreement with its five manufacturers, Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM and Yamaha, covering the 2027 to 2031 seasons and giving the championship a unified framework for its next contract cycle. MotoGP said the deal, which it described as the first single five-year agreement of its kind in the sport’s history, was confirmed at a Friday press conference during the Czech Grand Prix in Brno and was meant to protect competitiveness, technical relevance and the series’ global appeal.

The agreement ended a prolonged standoff that had delayed official rider announcements and created uncertainty around MotoGP’s immediate future. Representatives from the manufacturers and MotoGP CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said the settlement provides stability and points to a new era for the championship. MotoGP also said it has reached principal terms with the 11 teams for the same 2027-2031 period, with a formal announcement on that arrangement due later.

The deal came after more than a year of negotiations and a tense stretch that included a boycott of the pre-Grand Prix dinner in Jerez and a pause in 2027 rider signings. MotoGP SEG resisted the manufacturers’ push for a Formula 1-style revenue-sharing model and instead agreed to a fixed payment structure, with each team expected to receive less than €8 million a year. Some details still need to be finalized, including teams’ promotional and marketing responsibilities, while MotoGP, the manufacturers, the teams and the FIM continue work on technical, sporting and safety changes, including a revised limit on bikes used in practice sessions.