MotoGP Riders and Team Managers reflect on Valencia Test

MotoGP Valencia Test
November 2025

It was a late start at the Valencia Test as heavy overnight rain slowly drained from the track surface. Still, once they finally got up and running, it was Raul Fernandez who set the pace to lead an Aprilia one-two ahead of Marco Bezzecchi.

Raul Fernandez

Fernandez’s chart-topping pace is perhaps not surprising, as he had very little on his work schedule to test and could instead just cut laps without having to evaluate a conga line of new parts being thrown at the RS-GP, unlike his rivals.

Toprak Razgatlioglu

Yamaha drew significant attention with its new V4 and two new rider signings, but power output remains limited to reduce the chance of any very public detonations. The Yamaha was the slowest through the speed trap: 325.8 km/h for Miller, 327.4 km/h for Quartararo and Rins, while Toprak was fastest at 330.5 km/h. Even that speed was 10 km/h slower than the speed trap benchmark set by Bezzecchi.

Toprak Razgatlioglu

Here are the quotes we have been able to collate thus far, bearing in mind that the likes of Toprak Razgatlioglu are prevented from speaking due to contractual restrictions imposed by their previous brand. However, the Turk’s Team Manager did air his thoughts…

Raul Fernandez – P1

“Today was a quite strange day because we didn’t have a lot of things to test, so we have just been working on improving our package to extract 100% of what we have. We were focused on that as, from Aprilia, we didn’t have a lot to try. We’ll have to wait to see how much Marco (Bezzecchi) and Jorge (Martin) like the new aero package and then find out which Aprilia we will have at the Sepang test. Now it’s time to rest, be with the family and enjoy some calm time and to come back to train and be stronger next year.”

Raul Fernandez

Pedro Acosta – P5

“We tried a lot of aero stuff and it was quite OK. Some things made the bike feel more complete because we know our strong points are strong and our weak points are weak and they helped with this. The guys now need to analyse the data with our comments. It was a mess not to ride this morning…but I think we are happy and we made priorities.”

Pedro Acosta

Maverick Viñales – P6

“We tested many items, especially on the aerodynamics, and it gave me a clear picture of where we need to go for 2026, so we are quite happy. We still need to put things all together, but if we work smart during the pre-season, we will arrive to the first round in good shape. We are ending the year with a better feeling. All the team has the ideas clear heading to the winter break, so we are happy.”

Maverick Viñales

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P7

“It was a good day. We tested several things that Ducati brought here to Valencia. The feeling was good and it was very important to see that the work done by the factory is going in the right direction, especially in terms of expectations. It was important to provide feedback, and we completed everything that was planned for the day. In these tests it’s always a bit tricky to fully understand things because of the track conditions, but they are always very useful – especially for the engineers – to see whether their studies work on track as well. That was the goal, and we achieved it.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio

Nicolò Bulega – P8

“I’m happy, although I’m disappointed about the mistake in the last corner in the time attack, where I lost two tenths. I’m starting to ride better and better, I feel the bike is a little more mine, and I’m able to push harder. Today was an important day: during the test, the atmosphere is more relaxed and there’s less stress. We worked more calmly, step by step, and at the end of the day, I put in some good laps and was even able to feel the new tyres. It was a very useful experience, especially for my role as a test rider in 2026″.

Nicolò Bulega

Francesco Bagnaia – P10

“I’m finishing the final round of 2026 with a definitely good feeling. Compared to the race weekend, I immediately felt comfortable with the 2026 prototype and we worked hard. The pace and the lap times were good from the first outing, and I didn’t have any difficulties. I’m happy; it was a test with really fast times. It’s a shame I didn’t do a final time attack with the soft tyres, but I’m satisfied. I’m going on holiday with a positive attitude”.

Francesco Bagnaia

Brad Binder – P10

“Really happy with the progress we were able to make because we squashed it into a half-day. The bike felt good and we tried a different seat unit that was more comfortable; the ergo was nice. We tried some more aero that gave me the feeling the bike was more balanced. The guys can go back and check the numbers and see where we go. A positive test.”

Brad Binder

Ai Ogura – P11

“I was working on my riding style and a few options. There were just a few things to test and what we tested was positive – so, basically, it was a good day for us. Everybody said 2026 starts today but, for me, it feels like 2025 finished today and I’m happy about that. For me it was good to have this one-day testing after the season – we got some new ideas today and I have a whole winter to work on it.”

Ai Ogura

Joan Mir – P12

“A productive test, working on a few items for 2026 with a similar base to what we’ve had. Today was about understanding what we need for the Sepang Test, after a year like this it’s good to have a day where we can confirm everything after everyone has been working so hard to deliver as much material as soon as possible. Some positives and negatives as always, but we’re able to find the direction and let the engineers and Test Team get to work. I have a lot of trust and confidence in how the winter will go in Japan, now we need to enjoy the winter and arrive strong and healthy in Malaysia.”

Joan Mir

Johann Zarco – P13

“Busy day today. The bike we tested showed better grip, which is encouraging, although we still need to find a different balance to fully adapt to this evolution. It’s the same bike I rode in Catalunya, and overall it seems to be working well. In Malaysia we’ll have an aero update, and there we’ll use a bike similar to this one. I believe the aero changes will make a difference; there’s clear potential. We’re making progress, and that’s what matters. Now it’s time to switch off and recharge the batteries for next season.”

Johann Zarco

Luca Marini – P14

“Today we had a really busy day, trying a lot of things in a really short amount of time and it was easy to get lost in a situation like this. The team and engineers did a great job to keep everything focused through the day. Now we need to sit down and check what we have learned deeply, make a plan together and move forward over the winter. We made a good step in each area of the bike, it maybe doesn’t show on the times because the track condition and the tyres complicate everything. Now a little bit of time to recover before we arrive in Sepang and start again.”

Luca Marini

Fabio Quartararo – P15

“Today was quite a short day. It was not already the goal to find something better than in Misano. We were mainly working to find a base set-up and find the feeling on the front. The riding style is completely different, but I like riding with the V4. It’s still too early for a complete verdict. Luckily, tomorrow we have one more day of private testing – it will be an important day.”

Fabio Quartararo

Jorge Martin – P16

“A lot of new parts to try for us, so it was a pity we lost all the morning.. But I am feeling pretty good. Really felt the difference with a few things, now it is time to analyse with the engineers, as we have some important decisions to make, but at the moment I am not 100 per cent sure which way to go. I started straight away with the new chassis, and we think this is a good step. But a lot of different things in a short time, so hard to understand.”

Jorge Martin

Enea Bastianini – P17

“Unfortunately, the test was a bit short, so we did not do everything we wanted. I have tried a new seat, it has potential, but we still need to make a few adjustments. We tried some fairing, again, some positives, and some negatives, but I think overall we brought good information to the factory. The most important for us is the set up, because this year I was not comfortable on the bike at all, and I have not felt like ‘Enea’, so I hope that with my new crew chief we can figure that out for Sepang next year!”

Enea Bastianini

Alex Rins – P19

“The bike has slightly improved. They didn’t change anything such as the gearbox or big items, but I felt better than in Misano. I didn’t make many laps because of the track conditions, but the laps we did were proper laps in terms of feeling. We worked a lot on the settings, and I can say that having tomorrow as another test day, I focused more on race pace than putting a soft in for a time attack. Overall, I feel quite good, so we’re at a good starting point for tomorrow.”

Alex Rins

Jack Miller – P20

“It was a busy day as we tried to understand the new bike and provide solid feedback. There‘s a lot to do, and we‘re working on it. This bike has only a few days of life so far, and it‘s still very much a work in progress, but we‘ll keep pushing. We know the strengths and we know the weaknesses — now it‘s our job to give the engineers the most precise feedback possible so they can work over the winter to find the best solutions.”

Jack Miller

Diogo Moreira – P21

“I’m super happy. The speed, the brakes, are all very different to Moto2. When I opened full throttle and put gas on the straight, it was a feeling like I have never felt in my life.  Riding a MotoGP bike has always been a dream, and I’m really pleased with the evolution throughout the day, understanding the bike and improving as the laps went by. Until you try it, you can’t imagine this speed. I’d like to thank the team for all their help; they’ve been fantastic. We focused on learning the bike and adapting step by step. I can’t wait for the season to start!”

Moto2 World Champion Diogo Moreira completed his first MotoGP laps on the 2025 specification Honda

Celestino Vietti – P22

“It was the best day of my life! I have to thank the VR46 Racing Team, Ducati and my Moto2 crew for allowing me to experience riding the best bike in the world. I had so much fun on every lap and in every corner, and I hope I can ride it much more in the future. The speed it reaches is incredible, but the most impressive thing is how quickly you have to stop the bike. It’s an unforgettable experience, and this day has been an extra motivation to do even better in Moto2 and reach MotoGP soon. I wish Franco a speedy recovery.”

Celestino Vietti

Team Managers

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“It was a hugely important day for Yamaha, as we‘ve started a new era with the V4 engine and had all four riders on track with the new YZR-M1 prototype. And of course, the real debut of Toprak — who, at this stage, can‘t give feedback at the level of Jack and the others because everything is new for him — but he started this new adventure extremely well. He was very good and very precise in understanding the bike‘s dynamics; you can tell he feels the bike from the feedback he gives, and in my opinion, he was very fast — much faster than I expected, considering how little he knows so far. And as a person, I really like him: he‘s very easy to work with. What impressed me the most is his braking — it‘s incredible — although compared to Superbikes he has to adapt to these tyres and this bike, learning to… brake less. But from the data you can see he has already understood this and is starting to apply it to be more efficient. Between him and the new bike, this is a new challenge for us — we need a new spirit, and Toprak will definitely be important here. And now we‘re already preparing for the first stoppie battle between him and Jack; with these two, we might just become world champions in this specialty!”

Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jack Miller with Gino Borsoi

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha Team Director

“Today was the first day of 2026 winter testing. We were not so much looking at performance but rather focused on gathering as much data as possible. Unfortunately, the conditions of the track due to last night’s heavy rain didn’t help proceedings. But luckily, a few months ago we anticipated this, and we have a private test here booked for tomorrow. This extra day will most likely give us the time needed to evaluate the updated parts, such as a different chassis and a different aerodynamics package, and we can also work on set-ups.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“We need to be happy about today because it did not start so well with the drying track. We had a decent afternoon and went through our test program. The homologation for the aero package means we had to start work quite early on this for the first races and we had some quite positive feedback from the options at hand. Next week, we need to analyse everything and make our selection.”

Enea Bastianini

Sebastian Risse – KTM Technical Director MotoGP

“Very productive but also very intense because we were cut short with track time. Luckily, we could use the rest of the day very well and our main focus were on items that we will have to homologate, so aerodynamics, and then on items we have to have ready for next season because it will be very tight between the next test and the first race. We had to decide on bigger hardware components and the options the riders had and we did this quite well. We know what we are looking for. We were able to make decisions that will prepare us well for Sepang.”

Maverick Viñales

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“Enea Bastianini began the work with his new crew chief, Andres Madrid, who we are welcoming to our team! The target was for them both to get to know each other, and understand how they both work. Enea had a few items selected together with KTM to try out, but we unfortunately could not complete all our plan since we did not ride this morning. The main thing for Enea was trying a new seat configuration, because he has not really felt comfortable all year long. I think that there were some positives and negatives that we will look into in the winter. The plan was different for Maverick Viñales because of his shoulder of course. The main target for him was to recover his confidence on the bike, he did many laps, and I think that it is progressively coming back, we saw him smiling all day, which is a good sign. On top of that, he also had a few items to try, the seat too, and some aero elements, as we really needed to give feedback to KTM so they can prepare all the new parts, and eventually make some adjustments if required for the next test. I think we did a pretty good job today, now it is time for everyone to get some much needed rest after a busy season. We will all reflect on this season, and prepare in the best way possible for the next test in Malaysia in February. Thank you to everyone for their support, thank you to all the team for their efforts today, and I wish everyone a good winter, and see you all in Sepang!”

Enea Bastianini

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“Unfortunately, Franco is not here in Valencia for the tests due to the hand injury he suffered on Sunday, and we wish him a quick recovery. So last night we decided to let Celestino try the MotoGP bike: it was a great news for him and very nice for us as well. It’s a dream for any rider, he completed a few laps and was very happy. He was very impressed by the power, the speed and the horsepower of this bike. With Diggia we tested some new parts coming from Ducati, which is very important for 2026. It’s important for us to test all these new components to try to build a good bike for next year. We have to work hard because we don’t have much time for testing; therefore, this day was very important for us.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio

Crew Chiefs

Noe Herrera – Crew Chief for Raul Fernandez

“It has been a positive test overall for us. We didn’t have so many new parts this time, just some improvements for the exhaust, some fuel strategies for difficult races and some parts that didn’t give us extra performance, but a lighter bike – so improving also on that. Also, we tried a strategy for tyre wear to save the tyre for difficult races like this one, but we need to analyse it properly because we didn’t see a direct benefit. Not really big changes actually, we just needed to understand if these new small things are working for Raul and then in Sepang to be ready to start, hopefully, with a new package.”

Raul Fernandez

Giovanni Mattarollo – Crew Chief for Ai Ogura

“Finally, we did a test with Ai today, the first one since Jerez. It means that there were many things that we wanted to try but, unfortunately due to the limited time we had, we couldn’t do everything. We had time to work on settings, chassis, some options on strategy and on the riding position. Basically, we are happy about the result. We didn’t work on the time attack, just understanding a few things and worked with Ai to make another step of improvements.”

Ai Ogura

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