After a positive return to racing for Viñales with P11 and promising pace from Bastianini before a technical issue in Sunday’s Grand Prix, the team turned its focus to a full programme of setup work and evaluation of new components for the KTM RC16 across both sides of the garage.

With testing interrupted by rain in the early afternoon, only one session was completed. Across the morning stint, Bastianini reached a total of 25 laps, setting the third best time of the session with 1’38.884 behind Fabio Quartararo and fellow KTM rider Pedro Acosta.

On the other side of the box, Viñales was back on the RC16 and eager to accumulate as many laps as possible as he continues to recover his full strength.

Using today’s test to rebuild rhythm and confidence, while also contributing to the team’s development programme, Viñales completed 40 laps and set a best time of 1’38.957 – just 0.073s behind his team-mate.

Tech3 will now build on the progress made in Barcelona as the 2026 MotoGP World Championship continues, with both riders targeting further improvements in the upcoming rounds in Italy and Hungary.

Enea Bastianini: “The focus was more on setup today, because during the weekend I was losing time to Pedro on corner entry. I tried to understand that, and we’ve made an improvement. We worked on engine braking and found a better direction there too.
“After a difficult Sunday for everyone, it was important to reset and gather more information. I now have a clearer understanding of the bike. I think I had good pace this weekend, but when it was time to push, I wasn’t fully ready, especially in time attack. In any case, we take the positives and move on.”

Maverick Viñales: “Today, I tried the new aero package and worked on some suspension settings. I’m improving my feeling with the bike and it’s becoming easier to be quick from the first lap. I feel more comfortable with the front, which should help in the first sector. The fairing is also an improvement, although I’m not sure yet if it will be ready for Mugello, but the team is working hard on it.
“For the physical side, I’ll rest but also focus on building more strength. I can still feel a bit of weakness in time attack, but it shouldn’t take long to fix. I’ll do some motocross to work on my forearms and spend some time on the 1000cc bike to keep riding.”

Nicols Goyon, Team Manager: “Today’s test in Barcelona was the final outing for the current-spec bike under this regulation, including the Michelin tyres, so there wasn’t much left to evaluate. However, it was still a useful day for Maverick, who was able to close the gap to the other riders and test some items he hadn’t tried in Jerez, particularly the new aero configuration. He is now fully aligned with the other KTM riders, which is a positive step, and he feels ready for Mugello.
“On Enea’s side, one of the main focuses was rear suspension. Different configurations were evaluated, including some that had already been tested before the rain interrupted running earlier in the week. Overall, it was a productive session, and now the team turns its focus to the next round in less than two weeks’ time.”