We are heading into No Man’s Land when it comes to testing, as the factories start to tail off their 1000cc projects for 2026 and ramp up their efforts on the 850cc machines for 2027. The 850s are all being tested behind closed doors at the moment, in part because factories want to develop in private, but also because of the difficulties MotoGP faces where it has a contract with Michelin as official tire supplier for the current year, while next year’s bikes are being developed on Pirellis ahead of the Italian tire maker’s arrival in 2027. It is a complicated commercial and contractual conundrum, which is solved by keeping prying eyes away until after Valencia.

But that doesn’t meant that work has stopped on the current generation of bikes. Far from it. We saw plenty of new parts at the Jerez test, as well as work on the factories’ existing packages. With testing severely limited – this year, just two days of official testing on the 1000s and two days on the 850s before Valencia – it was a chance to take a step back and calmly work through a program.

Combined times from both sessions of practice at the Jerez test:

Results of the afternoon session at Jerez:

Times at 5pm:

Results:

The track is busy in the first hours of the Jerez MotoGP test, with 23 riders taking to the track, including Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori and KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa. After the first couple of runs verifying their existing packages, a few changes have emerged, mostly revolving around aerodynamics. 

If I wanted to get my writing flagged as AI, I might start my notes from Sunday at Jerez for subscribers with a suggestion that Jerez was a weekend of contrasts. Which is a shame, as Jerez really was a weekend of contrasts. Saturday was a headlong rush into madness, a frenetic chase from wet practice to qualifying on a drying line to a bizarre but thoroughly entertaining sprint race.

Sunday’s full-length grand prix, on the other hand, was another tedious procession, the trademark of the current era in MotoGP, another victim of ride-height devices, aerodynamics, and Michelin’s front tire. A crash by Marc Márquez was the only constant in both.

Even those two crashes were marked by contrast. The crash on Saturday was a small get off, that allowed Márquez to enter the pits (for the legalities of that exploit, see Saturday’s subscriber notes), and then go on to win the race. The crash on Sunday was fast, early, and put him out of the race altogether.

What they had in common was they exposed a weakness in Marc Márquez’ armor. One which may be more concerning than he is letting on.

Jerez is in the books and what a contrast between Saturday and Sunday. From a scintillating sprint to a dismal GP,  David, Neil and Adam discuss everything we saw at the Spanish GP. Is Aprilia still the best bike on the grid? Is Ducati back in contention? Is Alex Marquez’ speed at Jerez down to the track or the Desmosedici GP26? Does the end of Marco Bezzecchi’s win streak mean anything? And do Marc Marquez’ struggles at Jerez mean the end is in sight for the nine-time world champion, or is it just a temporary setback and a step on the way to recovery?   

1. LeeroyJenkins – 429
M. Mar – 57
M. Bez – 101
A. Mar – 53
J. Mar – 90
P. Aco – 66
A. Mar – 53
D. Mor – 9

2. onsight512 – 421
M. Bez – 101
M. Mar – 57
A. Mar – 53
J. Mar – 90
P. Aco – 66
A. Mar – 53
T. Raz – 1

3. SG_moto – 421
M. Mar – 57
M. Bez – 101
J. Mar – 90
A. Mar – 53
P. Aco – 66

MotoGP standings after Jerez: