- Quartararo reacts with an obscene gesture to the performance of his new Yamaha V4
- Jorge Martin finishes third in his first Aprilia test
- Marc Márquez crashes twice but remains uninjured
The official 2026 MotoGP test at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, has shaken up the balance of power in the paddock. While some teams and riders put in promising performances, Yamaha had a test to forget. Fabio Quartararo in particular made no secret of his frustration with the new V4 machine. At the other end of the emotional scale was Jorge Martin, who was immediately competitive after switching from Ducati to Aprilia.
Quartararo at rock bottom: giving his own Yamaha the finger
What happened on the first day of testing in Buriram is probably unprecedented in recent MotoGP history. Fabio Quartararo, 2021 world champion, gave his own Yamaha V4 the middle finger as he drove past the pit wall. The gesture was directed at the engineers and technicians in the pits and made it clear just how frustrated the Frenchman has become.
Quartararo finished second to last on the first day and was more than 2.5 seconds slower than the leaders. After just a few laps on the V4 prototype, he switched back to the older inline-4 machine because the new configuration was so far from competitive. “Normally, I leave the pits ready to push to the limit. But with this bike, I rode out of the pits and thought, ‘What the hell?’, Quartararo described his impressions.
The 25-year-old spoke openly about how he had never had such a bad feeling on a motorcycle in his entire career. “This is the worst feeling I’ve ever had on a motorcycle,” he said. The situation was so serious that he couldn’t even begin to push with the V4 prototype. Quartararo explained that the V4 Yamaha had no strengths whatsoever and he didn’t know where to start.
His frustration was not limited to lap times alone. Quartararo described massive problems with the stability of the motorcycle and its general handling. He later made it clear that his gesture in the pits was not just a spontaneous outburst: he had been “extremely angry” and wanted to show it.
Razgatlıoğlu also struggles with the Yamaha
The fact that the problems were not solely Quartararo’s was demonstrated by the situation of Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. The Superbike World Champion, who will make his MotoGP debut in 2026, also struggled with considerable difficulties on the Yamaha M1. Razgatlıoğlu reported severe slippage on the straights, a phenomenon he could not explain.
In the Superbike World Championship, Razgatlıoğlu was regularly one of the fastest riders on the straights. In Buriram, however, he lost a lot of time on the long straights of the Chang International Circuit. The Turkish rider was at a loss and said he did not understand the situation. Despite the problems, he remained more relaxed than his teammate Quartararo and tried to take the positives from the test.
Martin impresses on Aprilia debut
Jorge Martin presented a completely different picture. The reigning MotoGP world champion was eagerly awaited after his move from Ducati to Aprilia. He answered the question of how quickly the Spaniard would adapt to the RS-GP in impressive fashion: on the first day of testing, Martin finished third.
Martin said that adapting to the new bike had gone better than expected. The Aprilia already suits his riding style well, even if there are still areas where fine-tuning is needed. In particular, the coordination work with the team has worked well from the start.
Martin’s quick adaptation surprised even those within the Aprilia camp. After the difficult final months of the 2025 season with the former rider duo, the mood in the team was visibly brighter. Martin was able to show his strengths, especially at the braking point and in the corner entry phase, but still had work to do on traction at the corner exit.
Raúl Fernández: A breakthrough at Aprilia
Martin wasn’t the only one causing a stir at Aprilia. Raúl Fernández also showed a significant improvement in performance at the Buriram test. The Spaniard, who had often struggled with the idiosyncrasies of the Aprilia in previous seasons, spoke of problems being solved and a much better feeling on the bike.
Fernández explained that changes to the setup and electronics had helped him to better exploit the bike’s potential. The progress was so significant that he spoke of a real breakthrough. The results backed up his statements, as Fernández was significantly further ahead in the test than was usual last season.
Márquez crashes twice in Buriram
Marc Márquez had a mixed test in Buriram. The eight-time world champion crashed twice on the first day, but remained uninjured. The crashes occurred in different corners of the circuit and, according to the Spaniard, had different causes.
Despite the two slips, Márquez was generally satisfied with the test program. He said he was able to collect important data and explore the limits of the motorcycle. Crashes are part of testing when you’re trying to get the most out of the bike, he explained. In the overall standings for the first day of testing, Márquez finished in a solid position despite the lost riding time.
Yamaha under pressure
The Buriram test ruthlessly exposed Yamaha’s problems. Both with the new V4 configuration and with the existing inline-4, the Yamaha riders were far from the front. Quartararo’s public outburst of frustration is likely to increase the pressure on the Japanese engineers even further.
There is a lot at stake for Yamaha. The manufacturer is investing considerable resources in the development of the V4 machine, which is intended to form the basis for a return to the top in the long term. The fact that its own top rider is so publicly withdrawing his confidence in the project sends a clear signal. At the same time, rookie Razgatlıoğlu has to work with equipment that pushes even the experienced Quartararo to his limits.
On the other hand, Aprilia and Jorge Martin in particular can look forward to the coming season with confidence. The world champion’s quick adaptation to his new machine suggests that the RS-GP is a competitive package. Together with the progress made by Raúl Fernández, Aprilia could play a much stronger role in 2026 than it has recently.
What does that mean for me as a MotoGP fan?
The Buriram test shows that the 2026 MotoGP season could be more exciting than expected. Yamaha is in deep crisis, and Quartararo’s open despair makes it clear that a quick solution is not in sight. This is bitter news for fans of the Frenchman and the Yamaha factory team, because even the V4 switch, which was supposed to be the turning point, does not seem to have turned the tide so far. At the same time, Jorge Martin’s strong Aprilia debut is bringing a breath of fresh air to the paddock. Instead of a scenario dominated solely by Ducati, a real multi-way battle at the top could develop if Aprilia confirms its form. Added to this are Marc Márquez’s usual aggressive approach with the associated risk of crashes and Razgatlıoğlu’s entry from the Superbike World Championship. In short, there are enough storylines for an exciting season, even if not all of them are welcome news for every team.
