Aprilia and Yamaha will each enter a Wildcard entry at Jerez

As is often the case during the Spanish Grand Prix MotoGPThe factories are opting to enter wildcard riders. The aim of this maneuver? To prepare for the official test traditionally held on the Monday following the event at the Jerez-Ángel Nieto circuit. Thus, this weekend, Lorenzo Savadori will ride Aprilia's RS-GP, while Augusto Fernández will be entered for Yamaha aboard the M1 on the starting grid for the 4th round of the season.

Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia) and Augusto Fernández (Yamaha) will be doing a lot of groundwork throughout the weekend in preparation for the test day, but above all to anticipate the rest of the season for both manufacturers.

World championship leaders Aprilia are sparing no effort to maintain their lead over Ducati, continuing their development work. It's worth noting that if they continue on their current trajectory, the Italian brand could be relegated to Tier B of the manufacturer concessions. In that scenario, they would only have three wildcard appearance opportunities this season, compared to the six they currently have as Tier C manufacturers.

Clearing up doubts at Yamaha

While Aprilia seeks to maintain its lead over its rivals, Yamaha is still struggling to understand the shortcomings of its V4 engine. Fielding a fifth machine in Grand Prix racing, where the rider's work will focus on finding solutions to recurring problems rather than pure performance, could be beneficial for them. On Monday, Fernández will be joined by the regular Yamaha riders, and those from other manufacturers, for the official test.

The last time Lorenzo Savadori competed in a MotoGP weekend was at the 2025 Portuguese Grand Prix, replacing Jorge Martín, who was sidelined with a broken collarbone. He finished 16th, just outside the points. Meanwhile, Augusto Fernández had participated in the previous round at Valencia, entered as a wildcard for Yamaha. He was testing the factory Iwata V4 engine for the third time in a Grand Prix, following his first test at Misano (San Marino) and a second at Sepang (Malaysia).

The Italian and the Spaniard had already participated in last year's Spanish Grand Prix, finishing 18th and 16th respectively. This weekend, they will both be competing in their first Grand Prix of the 2026 MotoGP season. The two riders will bring the total number of riders on the starting grid to 23. As a reminder, only 21 of the 22 regular riders will take to the track in Spain, due to the extended absence of Maverick Viñales (KTM Tech3), caused by a dislodged screw in his shoulder.

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