- World champion Marc Marquez is targeting a full return at the Brazil GP
- Bezzecchi wins the season opener in Thailand and is praised by Valentino Rossi as the strongest VR46 rider
- Yamaha reportedly made Luca Marini an offer for 2027, while rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu logs extra test miles in Jerez
After the first race weekend of the season in Buriram, the MotoGP field is reshuffling. Last season’s hierarchies no longer apply, fresh power dynamics are emerging, and behind the scenes, planning for 2027 is already well underway. Here is an overview of the key developments between comeback ambitions, rookie challenges and a rider market that has once again sprung into motion.
Marquez on the Road Back: The Goal Is Brazil
The shoulder injury that Marc Marquez sustained in a crash at the 2025 Indonesian GP forced the nine-time world champion to miss the final four Grands Prix of last season. What followed was a lengthy recovery period during which the Spaniard could not ride a motorcycle for weeks. Even at the pre-season tests in Malaysia and Thailand, the Ducati factory rider still did not feel fully fit and admitted he was unable to ride his machine the way he wanted to.
At the season opener in Buriram, Marquez nevertheless showed he should not be counted out. In the sprint he fought for victory but was penalized after a hard move on KTM rider Pedro Acosta and had to let the Spaniard past in the final corner. He finished second. In the main race on Sunday, things went less smoothly: a damaged rear wheel rim forced the 33-year-old to retire. After the opening round, he has just nine points on the board.
When the champion will be able to ride without physical limitations again is the big question. “Let’s see… I hope it will be in Brazil; I’m always optimistic,” said Marquez. At the same time, he stressed that he first needed to find his “new 100 percent,” which would not necessarily match his pre-season level. He described his approach to recovery with remarkable tenacity: “You keep going, and when it looks like you can’t go any further, you keep going, and then you go a little bit further after all.” With shoulder injuries, Marquez said, you only begin to understand where you truly stand after about six months, and progress is often still possible two to three months beyond that.
Meanwhile, the Spaniard’s contract situation remains unresolved. Marquez has asked his employer Ducati to hold off on negotiations until he feels comfortable on the bike again. Only then does he want to sign a new deal. The question is whether it will be a one-year or a two-year contract. This season, Marquez has the chance to equal Giacomo Agostini and claim his eighth premier-class title.
Bezzecchi Dominates in Thailand and Earns Praise From the Legends
While Marquez battles his way back, Marco Bezzecchi made a statement at the season opener. The Aprilia factory rider dominated the race weekend in Buriram and led the Grand Prix from start to finish. In the sprint he had also been on course for victory but crashed out of the lead. Even so, Bezzecchi sits on a strong 25 points and proved that his switch from Ducati to Aprilia is working.
That the Italian is currently in top form is confirmed by none other than Valentino Rossi. At a special dinner of former 500cc and MotoGP champions in Misano last September — attended by Rossi alongside Giacomo Agostini, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Kevin Schwantz and Freddie Spencer — the VR46 team owner was asked about his protégés.
“At the moment, Bezzecchi is the one who is in the best shape,” Rossi said when Lorenzo asked who the strongest VR46 Academy rider was. Pedrosa was surprised by the Italian’s success after switching manufacturers. He had not expected it to go so well, since leaving Ducati was essentially “a step backwards.” “It’s harder,” Rossi agreed, “but he’s in shape.”
Rossi particularly highlighted Bezzecchi’s work ethic. At his Moto Ranch in Tavullia, the 27-year-old is the one who trains the hardest and is also fast there. “He’s very focused. He wants to win now. He’s very hungry,” Rossi said. At the same time, the nine-time world champion acknowledged a limit: “The Aprilia is a little worse than the Ducati. So beating Marquez with an inferior bike? Impossible.”
Beyond pure speed, Rossi praised a quality that Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola has also repeatedly emphasized: Bezzecchi’s feel for the motorcycle. He is very sensitive in his feedback to the engineers and understands what the machine is doing. His riding style may be aggressive, but it is precisely this combination of aggression and technical understanding that has proved important at Aprilia.
Bagnaia in Crisis: Rossi Sees a Psychological Factor
Rossi’s assessment of his other protégé was far less encouraging. Francesco Bagnaia, the two-time MotoGP world champion, is going through a difficult phase. At the legends’ dinner in Misano, Rossi summed up the situation bluntly: “Pecco is unfortunately a bit lost at the moment.”
Lorenzo wanted to know whether the problem lay with the motorcycle. Rossi explained that Bagnaia was struggling precisely under braking and on corner entry — the very areas where he had been strongest in 2024. The curious thing, as Pedrosa noted, was that he could still manage it in practice. Pedrosa suspected a link to tire behavior, but Rossi introduced another factor.
He believed that Marc Marquez’s arrival in the Ducati garage had put psychological pressure on the Italian. Having Marquez sitting in the same garage and immediately being fast was “physiologically not easy,” Rossi said. Lorenzo compared Bagnaia’s riding style to his own and observed that the Italian needs everything to be exactly right. “He’s a very precise rider,” Rossi confirmed. “A very clean riding style.” But when something is off, he struggles.
Rossi identified rear tire degradation as the biggest specific problem. In the closing laps, Bagnaia is noticeably slower, whereas in 2024 he had been particularly strong in the final phase. Agostini, the record holder with eight premier-class titles, suspected a mental issue behind it. Bagnaia was “a little demoralized,” the 83-year-old said. “The mind is everything.”
Indeed, Bagnaia experienced a rollercoaster ride in the second half of the 2025 season. After a double victory in Japan, the problems returned in Indonesia. In the final ten races, he scored points in only two, including a sprint win in Sepang. At the 2026 season opener in Thailand, Bagnaia finished ninth in the Grand Prix and collected just eight points.
2027 Rider Market: Yamaha Wants Luca Marini as Development Rider
While the 2026 season has only just begun on track, the 2027 rider market is already gathering pace. The major moves — Pedro Acosta to Ducati, Francesco Bagnaia to Aprilia, Alex Marquez to KTM, Fabio Quartararo to Honda and Jorge Martin to Yamaha — are settled but not yet officially announced. Now the second Yamaha factory seat alongside Martin is reportedly also taken.
According to reports from the Spanish daily AS, Yamaha has decided on Luca Marini and made the 28-year-old Italian an attractive offer. Marini declined to confirm this at the Thailand GP, but the background suggests such a move makes sense.
At his current employer Honda, space is tight for Valentino Rossi’s half-brother. For 2027, three of the four seats are already filled by Johann Zarco, Diogo Moreira and the incoming Quartararo. Marini is competing with Joan Mir, David Alonso and Moreira for the remaining spot. Since Mir was clearly stronger than Marini in Thailand, the Spaniard is considered the favorite.
“Being a Honda factory rider makes me proud. I hope I can win with them. I want to stay and we are already talking to them about an extension,” Marini said defiantly. At the same time, he acknowledged that in this paddock, “of course everyone talks to everyone.”
What interests Yamaha about Marini is obvious: development expertise. In Iwata, the plan is to completely rebuild after losing Quartararo. After the attempt to sign Bagnaia fell through, a rethink apparently took place. If not a star rider, then at least a first-class development rider. And that is precisely Marini’s strength, which he has already demonstrated at VR46-Ducati and subsequently at Honda. When he moved to HRC at the end of 2023, the factory was at its lowest point. Two years later, the turnaround has been achieved, in no small part thanks to Marini’s test work. “When it comes to developing a motorcycle, I’m the best,” he emphasized.
Should the Yamaha move not materialize, the VR46 team could come into focus as an alternative — Rossi’s satellite outfit that has competed in MotoGP since 2022.
Razgatlioglu Logs Test Miles: Yamaha Uses Every Opportunity
While the rider market speculation for 2027 continues, Yamaha is working on another project in the here and now: the MotoGP debut of Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlioglu. The Turk experienced his debut race weekend with the Pramac Yamaha team in Thailand with mixed feelings.
On the positive side, his lap times improved steadily. The gap to teammate Fabio Quartararo shrank to roughly half a second. On the negative side, there are the ongoing problems with the V4 variant of the M1 that was deployed across the board for the first time in 2026, which is trailing behind the competition. In qualifying, Razgatlioglu was 1.5 seconds off pace-setter Bezzecchi. Even fellow rookie Diogo Moreira on the Honda was faster in every session. In the end, the three-time Superbike world champion finished 17th without scoring a point, while Moreira scored on his debut.
Yamaha’s engineers are taking a pragmatic approach to closing their high-profile recruit’s experience gap. Thanks to the concessions regulation, which allows only Yamaha to use regular riders in private tests, Razgatlioglu joined the ongoing test program in Jerez. While the test team led by Andrea Dovizioso evaluates the 850cc future machine with Pirelli tires for 2027, Razgatlioglu puts in laps on the current 1000cc M1 with Michelin rubber.
An image of the machine warming up appeared on social media despite Yamaha officially suspending communications. A key part of the learning process, according to Razgatlioglu, revolves around the control tires from sole supplier Michelin. MotoGP technology differs fundamentally from WorldSBK in this area, and the 29-year-old spoke self-critically at the Thailand GP about the fact that the adaptation has not yet succeeded.
Since nothing will change on the technical side of the Yamaha for the upcoming overseas events in South and North America, the focus for now is on the rider side. For the new circuit in Goiânia — unknown to all riders — the goal is clear: get closer to Moto2 world champion Moreira and score that first MotoGP point.
Looking Ahead: MotoGP Between Upheaval and Realignment
MotoGP finds itself in the midst of a fundamental upheaval. On track, Pedro Acosta leads the championship after the opening round with 32 points, followed by Bezzecchi on 25 and Raúl Fernández on 23. Defending champion Marquez sits only eighth with nine points, while Bagnaia is right behind in tenth with eight. The old power structures have, for now, been suspended.
Off the track, a scenario is taking shape for 2027 in which virtually every manufacturer will reshuffle its rider lineup. The already settled but not yet officially announced moves of Acosta, Bagnaia, Alex Marquez, Quartararo and Martin will fundamentally change the landscape. Add to that the upcoming regulation change to 850cc and Pirelli tires, which will turn the technical side of the premier class on its head.
At the Brazil GP in Goiânia next weekend, the riders and teams face a completely new circuit. For Marquez, it will be the litmus test of whether his recovery has reached the hoped-for next level. For Bezzecchi, it is the opportunity to carry his early-season momentum. For Razgatlioglu, the next step in his learning curve. And for MotoGP as a whole, another chapter in a season defined by upheaval and realignment.
➜ This article is part of our comprehensive overview: 2026 MotoGP Season: The Complete Overview – Teams, Riders, Calendar & Championship Standings. Find all key information on this topic in one place.
