2026 MotoGP Season: Preview
- Finn Glover
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
Written by Finn Glover, Edited by Dhara Dave
It’s back! Fresh from the winter break, MotoGP returns to your screens with a blockbuster season in prospect. 22 riders from 11 teams will all fight for glory, starting in Thailand on March 1st, and with it being the last season under the current technical regulations, it's anyone’s guess what will happen over the course of the 22 sprints and main races, finishing in Valencia on November 22nd.
This preview will take you through everything you need to know before the season starts: new riders, races, and a whole lot more, ready to provide what could be one of MotoGP’s most enticing seasons in a long time.
The calendar
After last year’s expansion, the calendar remains relatively similar to its 2025 rendition, with the main change being the absence of the Argentine Grand Prix, which is due to return in 2027 in its new home at a revamped circuit on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Replacing it, Brazil will make its return on the calendar for the first time since 2004, heading to the newly remodelled Goiânia circuit for the first time since 1989. It means that South America’s large motorbike fanbase will have a race on the calendar, and with the arrival of new MotoGP hotshot Brazilian Diogo Moreira into the field, it will surely won’t be an event to miss!
New riders
Two riders have left the MotoGP field to pursue careers in World SBK. Somkiat Chantra’s nightmare debut season with LCR Idemitsu did not earn him a contract renewal, and the Thai racer has earned a factory ride at HRC in the premier Superbike class. Another rider leaving the MotoGP circus is Miguel Oliveira, with the Portuguese racer ending his seven-year stint in the category to ride for BMW in WorldSBK after a disappointing season with Pramac.
Replacing him in a direct swap is the Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. The three-time WorldSBK champion’s move to MotoGP has been anticipated for years, and now, finally in 2026, it is happening. He will race for PRAMAC Yamaha alongside Jack Miller, and it will be exciting to see just how he adapts to such a change of machinery, alongside the prospect of new circuits, competitors and regulations alike.
The other debutant in the series is the 2025 Moto2 World Champion Diogo Moreira. The Brazilian endured an unbelievable 2025 season, where he hunted down talisman Manuel Gonzalez to narrowly claim the title by 30 points in the final race of the season. The highly-regarded 21-year-old will replace Chantra at LCR on the newly-branded Pro Honda-LCR bike, racing the number 11.
Other changes
One noticeable change to be aware of is Yamaha, who, after testing it in wildcard appearances throughout the 2025 season with Augusto Fernandez, will opt to use the V4 version of their engine. An experiment nonetheless, but one that could prove either disastrous or revolutionary - a verdict we will quickly realise.
The MotoE Championship, one of MotoGP’s mainstay support series from 2019, will be no more. Citing a lack of interest and financial difficulties, the series will be replaced by ‘Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup’, competing in six races across the season.
Other than that, the series remains relatively unchanged from 2025. However boring it may sound, it certainly does not mean the excitement will die down coming into the new season
Key storylines to follow
Marc Márquez will seek to establish normality and provide yet another alienating masterclass of domination in 2026. After surgery to fix an injury sustained following a crash with Marco Bezzecchi at Mandalika, he will be raring to go and looking to repeat his record-breaking season of 2025. Yet Marc’s brother Alex, on the Gresini bike, will be someone to really watch out for, following a brilliant runners-up position in 2025.
He, however, will face a plethora of challengers chomping at the bit to damage his crown. The Aprilia boys, Marco Bezzecchi and a fresh-faced Jorge Martín, will look to challenge the Marquez rule, amidst growing anticipation and excitement over what the RS-GP26 might be developing for the upcoming season.
One rider to definitely look out for is the fallen giant Pecco Bagnaia. A disastrous 2025 saw him slump down the championship rankings, but he will be looking for rejuvenation this year, in what could be a make-or-break year for his future under the banner of Ducati red, which provides so much status and reverence in the MotoGP class.
Pedro Acosta is another one who could face a decisive season, with the hottest prospect in MotoGP looking to demand more performance from a laggish KTM, who, under new ownership and financial support, will be looking to skyrocket up the order. If they cannot supply that to the Spaniard, surely this could be his last season in the bright Austrian orange, and possibly a move to Ducati could very much be anticipated in 2027.
Finally, the Japanese manufacturers face a big evaluation test heading into 2026. Honda faced significant progress in 2026, scoring two podiums in Motegi and Sepang respectively, with Joan Mir. They will look to continue that momentum into the new season and be consistently fighting at the sharp end, and hunt for a first MotoGP victory since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in 2021 (for the factory team).
Yamaha, on the other hand, faces a world of unknowns. Toprak’s move to the MotoGP class is met with great uncertainty as to how he will adapt to a total change of machinery. Fabio Quartararo’s seemingly inevitable move to Honda in 2027 will also test how Yamaha cope amidst uncertainty throughout this season, and whether their V4 ‘revelation’ will prompt the Frenchman to reverse his decision and stay with Yamaha for the future beyond this season.
So, there we have it! 22 races, 22 riders await unknowingly what will happen this season. And truth being told, anything can! The Italian giants of Ducati and Aprilia will dominate the favourites in the odds, but in a world of uncertainty, anyone can prevail!
Join us in covering the action on the weekend of Feb 27th - March 1st, for the Thai Grand Prix, the start of what could be an unbelievable season!
