We got a first taste of 2026 on Tuesday as MotoGP™ was already back on track with the traditional Valencia Test, officially opening the upcoming season before we head to the winter break. What was meant to be a full day of testing turned into a 4-hour test, as the morning track conditions did not allow riders to hit the track until 13:30. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 squad made the most of these final 4 hours of the season, with Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini completing a total 103 laps between the two of them.
Valencia MotoGP Test
Unfortunately, the heavy rain from Monday evening over the Circuit Ricardo Tormo meant a cold and wet track this morning when the green flag launched the start of 2026 at 10:00. No riders were seen on track in the first hour, and then it was only Jack Miller and then Maverick Viñales who tried to go out for one lap, but they quickly returned to the pit box. The first session was red flagged due to track conditions, meaning no testing action on Tuesday morning.
The green flag was finally waved at 13:30 as bikes began hitting the track. Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini could both finally get on with their testing scheduled as they joined the action just before 14:00. The target for Maverick was to get as much track time as needed to regain the confidence on the bike heading to the winter break. In addition, the factory introduced a new seat configuration to try out and new aero elements, which were tried by the number 12 today as the factory aimed to gather feedback from all riders. Top Gun rode a total of 56 laps today, some solid work done by the Spaniard, who ended the final day on track of the year with the 6th time (1'29.620, +0.247), and a positive feeling heading to the off-season. Maverick will now have a bit more than 2 months to fully focus on getting back to his 100%. On his side, Enea Bastianini welcomed new crew chief Andres Madrid who joined the Tech3 ranks after spending a few seasons with Brad Binder. The day was all about getting to know each other and trying to build a solid base of work. Just like his teammate, Enea also tried the new seat configuration introduced by KTM, a request made by the Italian as he continues to search for the most comfortable way to ride his RC16. Some positives, some negatives, but a lot of data gathered which will be crucial to the engineers heading to the winter break. The Italian rode a total of 47 laps, with a fastest lap in 1'30.291 (+0.297 seconds) riden in the final minutes of track action!
That's all folks for 2025 track action, thank you to all those who have followed our adventures this year, and we can't wait to be back on track next season! See you at the Sepang Test, on February 3-4-5, 2026!
MAVERICK VIÑALES: "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."
ENEA BASTIANINI: "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!"
NICOLAS GOYON, 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!"
SESSION 1 RESULTS
1. Raul Fernandez (SPA), Trackhouse MotoGP Team, 1'29.373
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA), Aprilia Racing, +0.027
3. Alex Marquez (SPA), BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP, +0.084
6. Maverick Viñales (SPA), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.247
17. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.918
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2025 - M. Bezzecchi (ITA) - 1'28.809 - 162.3 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2025 - R. Fernandez (SPA) - 1'29.976 - 160.2 km/h
Best Pole: 2025 - M. Bezzecchi (ITA) - 1'28.809 - 162.3 km/h
Top Speed: 2025 - M. Bezzecchi (ITA) - 342.0 km/h
