Jorge Lorenzo has signed on as Maverick Vinales’ performance coach in a full-time return to the MotoGP paddock for the 2026 season, a role the three-time world champion called the “perfect job.” Lorenzo said working seven to nine hours a day with Vinales was “not heavy, it’s a pleasure,” and that the position lets him apply roughly 30 years of motorcycle experience without the on-track risk. Since retiring at the end of 2019, he has hosted a MotoGP podcast, raced in the Porsche Supercup, and worked as a DAZN pundit, and he will accompany Vinales to pre-season tests and through the opening rounds of 2026.

Lorenzo has overseen an intensive winter program designed to rebuild Vinales’ form, beginning at the Sepang test and overhauling the rider’s preparation to push him beyond previous limits. The regimen included road-bike testing at Jerez, figure-of-eight drills and dirt riding in Valencia, deliberate work in wet and slippery conditions, and technical refinements such as throttle control and braking technique. Lorenzo shifted Vinales’ routine away from a fitness-only focus toward tougher practice scenarios and more focused technical work to restore race-to-race consistency.

The intervention responds to a difficult 2025 for Vinales, who rehabbed a shoulder injury sustained at the German Grand Prix, struggled for consistency, and finished 18th in the championship despite having 10 Grand Prix wins and 35 career podiums. Lorenzo said he aims to help Vinales regain the “killer” mentality he remembered from the rider’s youth, arguing that Vinales needs greater mental strength but that physical preparation and mindset improvements could turn him into a genuine contender. Lorenzo has publicly bet with Albert Valera, manager of Pedro Acosta, that Vinales will outscore Acosta across 2026. Acosta finished fourth overall with 12 podiums in 2025. Vinales is out of contract at the end of 2026, and Lorenzo warned the next two to three years could be a final window for a championship push as his renewed form will be watched closely amid rumours of KTM factory-seat reshuffles involving Acosta and Alex Marquez.

Francesco Bagnaia has signaled he may leave Ducati at the end of his contract, saying he has “great opportunities” and that he “will decide very soon.” He said he has been presented with several potential paths, including Yamaha, Aprilia, and Honda, and stressed he is not inclined to accept a satellite Ducati seat, such as with VR46. He wants to remain a factory frontrunner. One outlet reported he has resigned himself to leaving Ducati for 2027, while the Italian team has not publicly confirmed his status.

A decline in results has sharpened the speculation. Bagnaia finished fifth in the 2025 riders’ standings, his worst ranking since 2020, while teammate Marc Márquez produced a dominant season, winning 11 of 18 races and securing the title despite missing the final rounds. Ducati is widely reported to be prioritizing Márquez’s contract renewal, and several outlets say the factory is actively considering KTM’s Pedro Acosta as a potential partner for Márquez in 2027. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali acknowledged Acosta is among the riders under review and said final line‑up decisions will follow internal deliberations and Márquez’s contract talks. Some reports suggest that Ducati is not offering Bagnaia a works extension.

The wider market and pre‑season testing have added momentum to transfer talk. Aprilia re‑signed Marco Bezzecchi but left its second 2027 factory seat open. CEO Massimo Rivola said the team is checking the market, but praised Bagnaia’s speed at the Sepang test, where the Italian posted strong sprint‑simulation times and said he felt more comfortable and consistent in testing. With teams preparing for an expected move to 850cc machinery in 2027 and a broader grid reshuffle, those performances, plus reports Ducati could still find Bagnaia a place elsewhere on the grid, have intensified speculation.

Yamaha’s new V4 engine suffered unexpected failures at the Sepang pre-season test, forcing a safety-first shutdown of factory running and disrupting the team’s program. An unforeseen fault first appeared on one of Fabio Quartararo’s bikes after his opening-day crash and was followed by a separate engine breakage on Toprak Razgatlioglu’s machine. Yamaha described the problem as something “we never had,” halting Wednesday’s running while engineers investigated, and kept garage doors closed as a precaution.

Engineers initially could not find the cause, but later identified the issue and allowed limited on-track activity, running the V4s with reduced power and rev limits to protect riders and equipment. The team removed long 60-70 lap runs and focused on ergonomics and sprint work. Yamaha intends to bring replacement engines ahead of the next two-day pre-season test at Buriram on February 21-22 to verify fixes and assess whether the imposed limits can be lifted, and warned that ambient temperatures above 30°C may exacerbate the faults.

The engine problems, combined with Quartararo’s crash, intensified scrutiny around the test. Spanish reports that Quartararo has decided not to renew with Yamaha, and instead reached an agreement with Honda, remain unconfirmed. The French rider has publicly denied signing for Honda while acknowledging he is in discussions. Team director Massimo Meregalli said the Sepang interruption was an unexpected delay that pushed some evaluations and contract talks toward the next test rather than changing decisions about Quartararo’s future. Alex Rins, the only factory Yamaha rider present, said the issue appeared under control and still managed his quickest laps of the test.

Yamaha’s switch to a V4-powered M1 was tested under a difficult spotlight at the Sepang pre-season test, where engine failures, handling peculiarities, and a rider injury disrupted the program. The factory team sat out the second day on safety grounds after unspecified engine problems affected Fabio Quartararo and Toprak Razgatlioglu. Quartararo crashed on the opening day, fracturing a finger that required surgery and was ruled out of the remaining days. Reports from the test said both Quartararo and Razgatlioglu destroyed engines during the outing, while Alex Rins added that an unnamed rookie also broke an engine during the program. Yamaha paused running to investigate overnight in Japan and Italy, then resumed later with reduced mileage, using D-concession status to preserve options for further engine work and private tests.

On pace, the new V4 left Yamaha more than a second off the outright lap times and last among the five manufacturers. Sporting manager Maio Meregalli singled out power as the primary shortfall, even as he described the chassis and balance as satisfactory. Jack Miller, who began the official test 14th and finished the final day 17th, downplayed the fault while also saying he needed more consistent track time. He recorded an average top speed of 327.8 km/h, roughly 10 km/h down on Fabio di Giannantonio’s Ducati. The Australian was the only Yamaha rider to complete a ten-lap race simulation, leaving him 13.957 seconds shy of Alex Marquez’s best Sprint benchmark that afternoon. Alex Rins was the quickest Yamaha on pace in 12th, but limited running across the squad made it difficult to assess the package conclusively.

Beyond outright power, riders reported handling disturbances. Razgatlioglu experienced a recurring Michelin rear-tire behavior when lifting the bike to about 25 degrees that only calmed when the gearbox was shifted into fifth or sixth. Jack Miller declined to elaborate on the technical causes when questioned, and other riders gave similarly guarded responses, underscoring unresolved reliability and safety questions heading into the rest of the pre-season. Yamaha now shifts focus to the final pre-season test at Buriram on February 21–22, where early development work will concentrate on extracting more engine performance and resolving the issues uncovered at Sepang.

Toprak Razgatlioglu delivered a downbeat assessment after the Sepang pre‑season MotoGP test, saying he expects to “probably struggle in the first five races” as he adapts from World Superbikes to MotoGP machinery. He completed the test with a best lap of 1:58.326, recorded around 18th–19th on the timesheets, well adrift of pacesetter Álex Márquez’s 1:56.402. After four-and-a-half days on track, he reported learning “something, but not a lot,” and said the five consecutive days left him physically tired, underlining how different the demands of a MotoGP race bike are compared with production‑based superbikes.

The Sepang sessions also exposed technical and setup problems within Yamaha’s new V4 package. The factory briefly halted running when a Yamaha V4 stopped on track, before resolving the engine issue and returning to action. Razgatlioglu highlighted ergonomic and handling challenges that “you can’t turn with the throttle,” and he has had to ride the YZR‑V4 more like a Moto2 machine, explaining that suspension changes are planned to improve turning. He reported improved braking after trying a different seat and reattaching the rear wing (earlier runs had the wing removed because his original seat exceeded height limits), but remained uncertain about Michelin rear‑tire wear and said tire behavior still limited his ability to hit his target lap time.

Others outside Yamaha framed Sepang as a learning and diagnostic outing. Pedro Acosta publicly urged Toprak to be cautious and not to overload expectations during his rookie transition, while Carlos Checa called him a likely top‑five rider but flagged two main uncertainties. The first is how well Yamaha’s new package will perform, followed by whether Toprak can adapt quickly to Michelin tires in the premier class. Yamaha plans further setup work and new parts at the Buriram test in just over two weeks, including additional rear‑wing trials and a possible 12‑lap race simulation to evaluate tire behavior. Taken together, the Sepang test highlighted both rookie adaptation issues and early reliability/setup and tire concerns for Yamaha’s V4 prototype, leaving Toprak’s immediate race competitiveness cautious rather than assured as the season opener approaches.

Reports before the first official 2026 pre-season test at Sepang claimed Fabio Quartararo had signed a two-year deal to join Honda from 2027. However, the rider publicly denied a completed agreement, while confirming HRC remained one of the options he was considering. The Sepang test itself was disruptive. Quartararo crashed on day one, broke a finger, and missed the remainder of that session, then encountered an engine problem Yamaha could not fix during the test. Yamaha also missed running after an unexpected engine issue described by team management as something they had “never had” before, as Alex Rins posted Yamaha’s best finish (12th). Team sporting director Massimo Meregalli said the Sepang incident did not change decisions on Quartararo’s future and characterized the interruption as a delay that pushed parts of the negotiation and testing program toward the next test.

Yamaha acknowledged it had reduced engine revs as a protective measure while continuing the development of its new V4, and planned to complete unfinished work during the upcoming Buriram test. The manufacturer emphasized continuity of its V4 program and insisted contract talks over 2027 were proceeding despite the Sepang interruption. Quartararo himself denied reports he had already signed for Honda even as questions about Yamaha’s pace of development and testing reliability intensified. Media reports and team comments linked the technical setbacks at Yamaha with increased speculation over the rider market, rather than presenting any confirmed move.

Honda presented a contrasting picture of forward momentum at Sepang. Team manager Alberto Puig praised Quartararo as “fantastic,” highlighted steady technical progress at HRC, including a lighter bike and improved engine response. The former rider cautioned that immediate wins could not be guaranteed. Joan Mir set the fastest time on day two, in what was reported as the quickest Honda lap around Sepang, and described the current RC213V as the best bike he had ridden, adding weight to Honda’s on-track gains. Puig repeatedly denied that anything for 2027 had been decided, and said Honda would prioritize its current roster while seeking riders who were both fast and intelligent. He noted that Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira were already locked in with LCR through 2027, leaving factory-team seats contested between Mir and Luca Marini. Puig framed the 2026 contract season as chaotic and said on-track results and the evolving rule environment would shape final decisions once the season got underway.

Marc Marquez returned to the track at the Sepang pre‑season test and delivered a mixed but constructive outing. He was fastest on the opening day, but endured a roller‑coaster three days of running, ending fourth on the final day, around 0.4 seconds behind his brother Álex Márquez’s best lap. In sprint‑simulation work, he posted a best simulation lap of 1:57.602 and completed 10‑lap runs with averages in the 1:58.2–1:58.3 range. “The Ant of Cervera” showed competitive race‑pace potential despite not feeling fully 100% fit. Marquez completed the planned program using 2025 front aero on both machines while sampling 2026 aero, and suffered a low‑speed crash at Turn 1 after an aero change altered the Ducati’s balance. The reigning champion was uninjured and able to continue evaluating settings.

Beyond lap times, Marquez stressed caution about interpreting Sepang data. He warned that grip levels in Malaysia were unrealistically high and that tire usage and track conditions can skew sprint runs. Ducati displayed notable depth at the test, but Marquez said “two, three riders are faster than me” and highlighted Francesco Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, and others as genuine threats. His words underline his view that the 2026 championship will be fiercely competitive. He framed testing as information gathering that must be validated under race conditions, pointing to the upcoming Buriram (Thailand) test on 21–22 February as a more decisive rehearsal because the season-opening race follows shortly afterwards.

Looking ahead, Marquez described the Sepang work as a positive step while emphasizing the need to protect his fitness and to keep evolving. A MotoGP title is earned across 22 race weekends, and riders must “reinvent” themselves year to year. His priority will be to close the gap to the riders ahead and to refine race pace and bike balance at Buriram and in the early races, using the Sepang data as a baseline rather than a final verdict on form.

At the Sepang test, Alex Márquez told reporters he had “several options” for the 2027 MotoGP season and wanted his situation resolved before the first race. Márquez, who finished runner‑up last season and earned a factory‑spec Ducati for 2026, ended the Sepang running fastest primarily using the 2024‑spec front aero. He reported a strong day that included a good sprint simulation and said additional aero and setup work would be evaluated during the upcoming running in Thailand. Márquez described Gresini’s offer as the most emotionally solid because he knows the team, but he is also being linked to factory moves as his market value rises ahead of the 2027 regulation changes and the adoption of Pirelli tires.

KTM’s interest in the younger Márquez intensified amid expectations that Pedro Acosta could move to Ducati for 2027, with reports naming the former as a favorite to join KTM and potentially partner with Maverick Viñales. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali confirmed the factory would formally consider its 2027 rider line‑up after the Sepang test and acknowledged Acosta among several riders under review. While reports suggested Ducati was close to signing Acosta on a two‑year deal, Domenicali said no final decision had been made and emphasized a measured approach. The Italian team was believed to be waiting to finalize a new two‑year contract for Marc Márquez before completing any agreement with Acosta, making the 2025 champion’s contract a gating factor in those negotiations.

Yamaha remained a possible destination, but its ability to pursue Márquez was reported to depend in part on the unresolved future of Fabio Quartararo. With teams waiting on contract clarifications and internal deliberations, multiple outcomes for 2027 lineups remain possible, and official announcements are expected after those processes. Márquez reiterated he planned to decide his 2027 ride well before the 2026 season opener, closing a window that many teams were watching closely as they shaped their lineups ahead of the regulatory shift. The combination of Sepang form, contractual movements around Acosta and Marc Márquez, and the upcoming rule changes ensures that the 2027 market will remain active in the weeks ahead.

Joan Mir topped the second day of the 2026 Sepang MotoGP official test for Honda, setting the fastest lap of the meeting with a 1:56.874 and pushing lap times into the 1:56s for the first time this pre-season. Franco Morbidelli was just 0.109 seconds behind in second for VR46, with Fabio Di Giannantonio completing the top three after an early benchmark run on his factory Ducati. Pedro Acosta and Maverick Viñales put KTM two-deep inside the top five, while Enea Bastianini added a third KTM inside the top 10; Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez, and Ai Ogura also finished within the top 10, and Francesco Bagnaia was the best of the factory Ducatis in eighth. Marc Márquez slipped to 15th after topping day one, and on-track incidents, including Alex Márquez’s crash at turn five, reduced meaningful running for some teams. The afternoon rain left only 17 riders classified on the official timesheets.

Yamaha sat out the bulk of Wednesday’s running after engineers found an unresolved engine issue following Fabio Quartararo’s stoppage on Tuesday, a problem compounded by Quartararo’s broken finger from a separate crash. The factory yard remained largely inactive as they investigated whether repairs could be made on-site and assessed the new V4 engine concept. The manufacturer said it would decide on Thursday whether to resume testing. That lost track time was notable given Yamaha’s switch to the V4 architecture for 2026 and the limited running available at Sepang.

A heavy rain shower around 4 pm local time curtailed late dry running and prevented many teams from improving on morning times, locking in Mir’s benchmark. Honda’s technical director, Romano Albesiano, described the squad as “moderately satisfied,” attributing Mir’s pace to a series of marginal gains across the engine, electronics, and chassis. He continued to say that the RC213V’s “real performance” should become clearer on the final day of testing. Taken together, the day produced a clear early-performance snapshot with competitive shows from Honda, VR46, KTM, Aprilia, and Ducati, while Yamaha’s interrupted program and the weather will shape preparations heading into the test’s last session.