Marc Marquez tops, Yamaha headlines Jerez Test with engine gains
It’s a familiar name on top as the Jerez Test concludes: Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), with the #93 laying down the only 1:35 of the day with a 1:35.876 in the afternoon session. On the chase it’s Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) at a deficit of 0.361, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in third just ahead of teammate Alex Rins as the Iwata marque’s new engine update stole the headlines.
DUCATI LENOVO, PERTAMINA EDURO VR46, BK8 GRESINI: Marc on top with front-end feel key
Right across Ducati, it was about trying new items and distributing it out across the other teams. Marc Marquez was on top in the morning but was in and out of the garage several times, with the shutter coming down. The aim for both riders was trying new items as well as an old swingarm but on the #93’s side, front-end feel was top of the billing – something programmed before his Sunday crash, too.
Teammate Francesco Bagnaia was one of the first riders out to the track at 10:00 but sat out plenty of the first three hours after lunch, only completing seven laps before heading back out in the last 90 minutes or so. He was working on the balance of his GP25, something that has been an Achilles heal over the course of the weekend but still at the test, didn’t seem as happy as his teammate’s side. In the end, the #93 was on top on combined times with the only 1:35 of the day, meanwhile the #63 of Bagnaia was in and around the 1:37.4s in P19, clearly not looking for a time attack.
For the Independent teams, it was a depleted test as Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) sat it out following his crash at Turn 11 in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio was charged with trialling new items on behalf of Ducati, as well as new material received within the team. At the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP garage, both Championship leader Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer were finishing with an hour and a half to go, ending up in P11 and P8 respectively. They were worked on improving their settings and with some electronics solutions but overall, it was about working on how to lose some rear grip.
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA, PRIMA PRAMAC YAMAHA: engine upgrade adds to strong momentum
Two weeks ago, official test rider Augusto Fernandez made a public appearance of the Yamaha V4 in Valencia but at Jerez, there was an engine upgrade of a different kind for the Japanese manufacturer. Both Quartararo and teammate Rins used it and found positives; whilst ‘El Diablo’ was happy, he wasn’t as convinced as Rins, who hailed a 3km/h increase in top speed as well as more power. Quartararo also tried a new seat, working on rider ergonomics as well as technical performance. In the afternoon session, it was a Yamaha 1-2 before they were all done around 15:30 and they finished 3-4, bringing their time at Jerez to an end. Team manager Maio Meregalli confirmed that the engine will be at Le Mans for Round 6, so positivity aplenty in blue.
Over in the Independent squad, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) was pleased with his progress but likewise taking the findings and results with a pinch of salt, with track conditions ideal after three days of track action and plenty of rubber. He echoed the sentiments of his factory counterparts in terms of the engine upgrade whereas official test rider Augusto Fernandez completed a happy quartet of Yamaha riders at Jerez.
RED BULL KTM, RED BULL KTM TECH3: working for the long-term future
As much as it was billed a “crucial” test before the Grand Prix weekend and again on Monday morning, it had two focuses: To develop the KTM RC16 into a more competitive package and thus meaning more “simple” weekends for the riders, as well as looking long-term into the future. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the first crasher of the day at Turn 10 but was soon back out on track, and he finished the day fifth overall too. Teammate Brad Binder was one of the first riders out on track and in the first session, was top KTM rider but finished early in the afternoon, not improving his time from the morning.
Over in the French corner at Red Bull KTM Tech 3, they’re gearing up for their home round, looking for a different initial power delivery on the side of Viñales, who was an impressive second overall on Monday. The Spaniard, who finished P4 on Sunday, also used some aero variations but due to high wind speeds, they’ll need further analysis to confirm their level of performance. Teammate Enea Bastianini continues his search to improve turning and build up his feeling in orange, particularly important for both riders ahead of the team’s home Grand Prix at Le Mans.
APRILIA, TRACKHOUSE: a busy day with an aero and braking focus
Up into the top four in the morning and sixth in the afternoon, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) was working on braking stability during the first session and appeared to make a step in feeling compared to the rest of his GP weekend. The afternoon saw him finish with the highest lap count of anyone, setting 47 to leave the test with a combined 99, with the laps chart being something we’ve seen Aprilia and Bezzecchi often be near the top of. He also continued using the new aero that was debuted in the weekend as well other new pieces, clearly working well. On the other side, Lorenzo Savadori suffered a technical problem in the afternoon, restricting him to 68.
For the Trackhouse MotoGP Team, it looked like a breakthrough had been found by Raul Fernandez, with the Spaniard finishing P9 overall and in true Aprilia fashion, put 85 laps to his name across the day. For rookie Ai Ogura, it was 88 laps for him and progress being made in comparison to the weekend, with three Aprilias inside the top 12 at the chequered flag.
HONDA: a new swingarm headlines ‘not revolutionary’ test, Zarco strong
Perhaps not the most revolutionary of tests for the Japanese manufacturer but nonetheless, a welcome one, offering more track time to continue making steps in the right direction. New items were trialled across the garages, including a new swingarm but there’s still work to do. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) and teammate Luca Marini continued until the chequered flag, logging vital data although there was little change in their lap times from the morning.
One of the shining lights for Honda was Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) who was inside the top three in the morning session and P6 overall thanks to that lap. Teammate Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) was feeling the physical challenge with his right arm after suffering with arm pump on Sunday and retiring, but was back at the track. He only set laps in the afternoon but crashed at Turn 10. The Thai rookie was back in the box and soon returned to the track, completing 42 laps and remaining just ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (Honda HRC Test Team), who took over for Monday from Aleix Espargaro. With three bikes to try and a plethora of parts and configurations, ‘Taka’ improved in the afternoon and set 68 laps during the day.
Check out the FP2 timesheets including the combined times HERE:
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Conclude Successful Testing Day in Jerez in P3 & P4
One day after their podium success at the Gran Premio de España, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team returned to the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto for a full-on day of testing from 10:00-13:00 (Session 1) and 13:20-18:00 (Session 2) local track time (GMT +2). Riders Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins shared positive feelings after testing an updated engine. They wrapped up the day in 3rd and 4th place respectively in the overall timesheets.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
TEST Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 28th April 2025
3rd, F. QUARTARARO, 1’36.353 / 33+24 LAPS
4th Á. RINS 1’36.507 / 32+17 LAPS
Following the Gran Premio de España, which ended in a podium for the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team, Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins resumed work at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto today, making the most of the one-day Jerez MotoGP Official Test. In sunny yet windy conditions, the duo put in great effort to collect as much data as possible whilst trying out an updated engine. They finished in 3rd and 4th place respectively in the overall results.
The Jerez Test was divided into two parts: Session 1 from 10:00-13:00 and Session 2 from 13:20-18:00 (GMT+2).
Fresh from a stunning second place, Quartararo was highly motivated to make further steps today. He dropped under the 1’37s mark quite early on. He briefly held the top spot before the times started to drop. He finished the first session in second place with a 1’36.406s, set on lap 17/33, 0.222s from first. In the second session, he initially added 17 more laps and posted a 1’36.489s on lap 3. However, at the time the Yamaha rider’s focus was more on gathering data than on pushing and setting a time attack, so he gave it another whirl at the end of the test. He clocked a 1’36.353s on lap 24/24 that earned him third place in the Session 2 and overall test rankings, with a 0.477s gap to first.
Rins enjoyed trying an updated engine during the test, and he also spent some time tweaking his bike’s set-up. Following a heavy crash on the Spanish GP Saturday, the Spaniard opted to focus solely on the main priorities. He completed 32 laps in Session 1. The 1’37.045s he clocked on lap 17 put him in eighth place in the morning results, 0.861s from the top. To complete his evaluation, he put in 17 more laps in the afternoon. His best time, a 1’36.507s, set on lap 16/17, saw him in fourth position in the Session 2 and the Jerez Test overall timesheets, 0.631s off the fastest time.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP will be back in action from 9-11 May for the Michelin Grand Prix de France in Le Mans. After the French GP, the team plan to travel to Italy for a private test at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to build on the Jerez Test findings.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
“We ended up having a really good weekend, followed by a successful test. Today we were able to collect some good information. The main topic was the updated engine, which is not the V4. We were curious to hear the comments of the riders, because we are ready to seal this updated engine specification in Le Mans as our third engine. The comments of the riders were positive, and we are satisfied. We know that the updated engine has a bit more power while the character of the bike is still the same, so it’s just an advantage. We are convinced that this engine is better. We have to wait some more for the engineers’ feedback when it comes to the aero side, because this is difficult for the riders to feel. Both our riders provided positive feedback, and they are leaving this test with a good feeling, which is a great first sign. Let’s see what happens next in Le Mans in two weeks’ time.”
FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“It has been a positive day, though all day, and especially in the afternoon, it was really windy, so it was difficult to ride well, and it makes the data less consistent. But I’m happy. We tested a new engine, and it looks like it’s positive. We will probably use it in Le Mans, but before then, the engineers we will have to analyse the data well. In general, it was a good test, and I felt quite okay. The straight here is super short, but the most important thing of the test was to see if we had the same level of agility with the new engine as we have with the standard one. The feeling was good. We still need a bit more time to understand the real benefit of this engine, though. But there are some positives, which I think is great. I’m ready for Le Mans.”
ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“We tried a new engine – a nice one! It’s more powerful. We are working on the top speed because that was missing a little bit for us, and we clearly improved by 2km/h. This is a great result. We are going to use this engine in Le Mans. We also did a bit of set-up testing. It was quite good. I improved my fastest lap here in Jerez by 0.5s, so I’m quite happy. Of course there are other points of improvement, but I’m quite happy because what we tried today helps me to go into the corners in a better way. My physical condition after Saturday’s crash was not the best, so we tried the most important things today. We tested the priorities, and after Le Mans we have a private test in Misano, which is going to be helpful to try more things. But I still did around 50 laps today.”
More, from a press release issued by CASTROL Honda LCR:
Johann Zarco completes productive test at Jerez
CASTROL Honda LCR Rider Johann Zarco has finished 6th on Monday test at Circuito de Jerez.
- Johann Zarco concluded a positive test focused on evaluating new components provided by HRC to enhance their performance package.
- The Frenchman reported feeling confident with the new parts, which helped him feel more comfortable on the bike.
- The team tested different electronic settings and setup changes aimed at boosting competitiveness for the upcoming rounds.
- With valuable data collected, Zarco and the team leave Jerez with clearer direction and renewed motivation as they prepare for the next race at Le Mans in less than two weeks.
Johann Zarco 6th
(1’36.600)
“After a tough weekend, we focused on rebuilding confidence. We worked on small details that made a big difference, and we gave it everything. The main improvements were on the electronics side. I still feel there’s room to improve, especially from braking into the apex, and that was our main focus today. Despite the strong wind, I felt better on the bike, and we were able to understand a few important things. It was a positive day, we tested several new parts provided by HRC, allowing us to analyze and compare valuable information”.
More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Honda HRC Castrol continue in Jerez with test
Positives from the first in-season test of 2025 for Joan Mir and Luca Marini who target the future with upgrades and changes.
The work never truly ends in the MotoGP World Championship and Honda HRC Castrol were right back out on track on Monday after an action-packed Spanish GP. With the track opening at 10:00 Local Time and high winds predicted, Joan Mir and Luca Marini were quickly out on track to begin their respective work.
Joan Mir completed a total of 67 laps across Monday’s two sessions, a brief pause for practice starts halting action during the middle of the day. Ending Monday in 16th with a best time of 1’37.245, Mir was able to assess several parts used by Aleix Espargaro during the Spanish Grand Prix. Positives found, Honda HRC’s engineers now have more information to study.
Like his teammate, Luca Marini had a busy day aboard his Honda RC213V machine and completed 72 laps of the Jerez Circuit. Working mostly with a new swing arm, the Italian was 18th fastest thanks to a best lap of 1’37.447 – just two tenths back on Mir. Content with the work, Marini was not chasing lap times and succeeded in all the tasks set out for him by Honda HRC’s engineers.
Joan Mir
16th
“A good day, something we needed after five races without a chance to test. The wind was a little bit tricky at some points. I was able to try what Aleix was trying, a small step in the right direction for us. I think it offers us improvements in all areas, a little more power, a little more acceleration. We need to check it a little bit more in some other conditions, already at this stage it is an acceptable base to keep going from. But it shows we are in a different situation to before, now we need to check if something can really be an improvement because of level is much higher and we are closer.”
Luca Marini
18th
“Today I was focused on trying a new swing arm and it looks like a little improvement already. It’s a bit too soon to see though because always on Monday tests here the grip is amazing so what you feel isn’t always accurate. There was also a lot of wind, but even like this we were doing a lot of back-to-back runs to get data for the engineers to work on. I am pleased with what Honda HRC have prepared and a good day for us.”