MotoGP
MotoGP Catalonia Test: Acosta and KTM dominate a truncated test
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The pilots of MotoGP They quickly put aside their emotions, after a chaotic Sunday marked by the terrible crashes of Álex Márquez and Johann Zarco, to focus on the MotoGP Catalonia Test: an opportunity for off-Grand Prix testing for the regular riders of each brand that followed the eponymous Grand Prix.
During this test day, shortened by heavy afternoon rain that rendered the track unusable, the riders who had crashed the previous day were obviously absent. Sunday's winner, Fabio Di Giannantonio, also skipped the session to recover from physical pain. It's worth recalling that 24 hours earlier, the Italian was struck head-on by the wheel and forks of Álex Márquez's wrecked motorcycle at turn 10.
KTM in the lead
On track, Pedro Acosta set the fastest time in the Barcelona MotoGP test, the pole-sitter confirming the speed he displayed throughout the weekend. The KTM rider is ahead fabio quartararo and Enea Bastianini, the three men standing within just 0.117 seconds, while the first 13 were grouped within one second at the time of the interruption.
Despite a tumultuous Catalan Grand Prix – marked by a technical issue and a crash at the end of Sunday's race – Acosta quickly bounced back. At Tech3, Enea Bastianini returned to form with the third fastest time after a weekend without scoring any points. The Italian focused on developing a setup for his RC16, while his teammate Maverick Viñales, fourth fastest of the day, took the opportunity to test the Austrian manufacturer's latest aerodynamic innovations.
Quartararo and Yamaha at work
Second, just 0.064 seconds off the pace, Fabio Quartararo expressed satisfaction with the track grip, attributing it more to the conditions than to any major upgrades to the M1. The Frenchman notably worked with new front wings. At Pramac Yamaha, Jack Miller (16th) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (19th) continued their adaptation process. The Turk stood out for his work rate, completing 45 laps, the highest total of the day.
At Honda, the other Japanese manufacturer on the grid, Diogo Moreira (Honda LCR) placed the best RC213v in 9th position after a day dedicated to setup. At Honda HRC Castrol, Luca Marini finished ahead of Joan Mir in 14th place, each testing new technical developments.
Chaos reigns at Aprilia
For Aprilia, the rain also disrupted a testing program that had previously focused primarily on validating solutions already tested at Jerez, particularly in terms of aerodynamics, electronics, and other motorcycle-related components. Given the specific characteristics of the circuit, renowned for its low grip, several tests were also conducted to improve performance compared to the race weekend – the worst of the season for Noale – which had just concluded.
Marco Bezzecchi completed 40 laps and set the 11th fastest time with a 1:39.559, but Jorge Martín's day was cut short after a crash at turn 7. Taken to the hospital for further examination, no fractures were found. Before this incident, the Spaniard had completed 15 laps, with a best time of 1:39.992.
Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse) finished fifth and sixth respectively after a day focused on setup, which concluded with their best laps at the end of the session.
Ducati's decimated but still present squad
As explained above, several Ducati riders were obviously absent: Marc Márquez (withdrawn before the weekend), Alex Márquez (recovering from injury), and Fabio Di Giannantonio (injured on Sunday). Fermín Aldeguer, Pecco Bagnaia, and Franco Morbidelli were therefore the only regular Borgo Panigale riders on track. The Spaniard was the fastest of the Ducati riders with the fifth fastest time, ahead of Franco Morbidelli. Pecco Bagnaia, meanwhile, continued his development work, particularly on a new swingarm, and finished the day in 10th place.
The next MotoGP test will take place in the Czech Republic, after the Grand Prix held at the Brno circuit. This will be the first opportunity for the factory riders to test the 850cc prototypes designed for the 2027 regulations, as well as the Pirelli tires, which will become the sole tire supplier for MotoGP that same year.
ALSO READ > Catalan Grand Prix – Di Giannantonio tames the chaos
MotoGP 2026 – Catalan MotoGP Test
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Luca Bartolomeo
Certified Belgian without accent who writes with pleasure for a French site. In charge of MotoGP
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CLEME30190
20/05/2026 at 11:00 a.m.
Martín cost his employer dearly during those 3 days, with 4 bikes wrecked – a record… It's not certain, contrary to what some media outlets claim, that Aprilia would be ready to forgive him everything (the attempted contract termination for a "non-completing" bike, even though he never actually rode it in a race, to sign with Honda, Honda changing their minds when they saw his behavior with his current employer) to renew his contract… Especially since he reportedly already signed with Yamaha Factory before the start of the season.