2026 marks the end of a regulation era in MotoGP. Many assumed that Ducati would continue their dominance coming into this year. However, Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia Racing shone in the final races of 2025, sparking hope of a true title battle between teams coming into this year. The fight for a championship is heating up as we reach the mid-season and the standings are changing with each round. In this final year of the regulations, battles are closer, and the manufacturers are showing everything they’ve got. Here, we look at how they are doing, and some of their highs and lows across the 11 races we’ve already had.
Aprilia Stormed Ahead
As a manufacturer, Aprilia has been the standout in 2026. After showing an upward trajectory in 2025, this year they have emerged as the manufacturer to beat. Both the factory and satellite teams are running the updated RS-GP26; a bike that has never-before-seen technology that has pushed both teams to the front. Utilising an adapted version of the F-Duct concept that McLaren debuted in the 2010 Formula 1 season has given the riders more control over reducing drag and increasing top speed.
Aprilia’s factory team, Aprilia Racing, have been the team to beat in the first half of the 2026 MotoGP season. Marco Bezzecchi impressed everyone immediately, taking the first three wins of the year. Likewise, his teammate, Jorge Martín, has also impressed. This year saw the #89 achieve his first win since winning the 2024 championship, and more consistent weekends have seen him take the lead. However, crashes have plagued the duo, especially Bezzecchi, which has led to other riders catching up in the recent rounds. Most notably, the #72 was suspended from the Czechia Grand Prix due to hitting a marshal after he crashed in the sprint race.
Their satellite team, SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team, has shown leaps forward in 2026. At times, they have struggled to switch the performance on immediately, leading to the riders facing Q1. Sitting sixth in the championship, Raúl Fernández has impressed, taking two sprint race victories and two podium finishes. Ai Ogura has grown in his second year, showing strengths of tyre management as he carves his way through the grid. This growth culminated in his maiden pole position in Czechia, and then his maiden win in Assen. Ogura now sits second in the championship.
Ducati Are Catching Up
At the start of the year, it looked as though Ducati had taken a step back. With Aprilia racing to the front, Ducati were falling behind and unable to replicate their previous dominance in this regulatory era. The new and updated Desmosedici GP26 saw an updated aerodynamic package. This included modified inlets, winglets, and underbody diffusers compared to the GP25 machinery. These upgrades were aiming to provide more top speed whilst maintaining cornering stability. However, it saw them on the back foot when it came to straight-line speed.
Out of the six Ducati riders, four are on the new package. Fermín Aldeguer and Franco Morbidelli remain on the GP25, but Álex Márquez was upgraded to the current bike over the winter off-season. Whilst Marc Márquez got off to a storming start, almost winning the first sprint race in Thailand, it hasn’t been an easy season so far for Ducati.
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio has been a standout rider, being consistently in the top five in races. In contrast, his teammate, Morbidelli, has failed to match up. The 2026 season so far has been marred by incidents for Aldeguer and the Márquez brothers, and injuries and surgeries have seen the trio miss rounds. BK8 Gresini Racing has seen both Michele Pirro and Iker Lecuona fill in for both riders this year.
However, despite the slower start, recent rounds have seen the Ducati riders start to close the gap to Aprilia. Looking more comfortable on the 2026 bike, Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has seen more positive results compared to last year. Á. Márquez secured the manufacturer their first win of their year, whilst M. Márquez has achieved the most points since his return in Italy: turning a 102-point gap to just 18.
KTM Battling with Engine Reliability
Whilst KTM retained the RC16 for the 2026 season, this year saw the manufacturer bring technical upgrades to help improve performance. The altered aerodynamic package aims to enhance its mid-corner turning and improve the bike’s overall stability. A tyre management upgrade was also developed to improve how the bike works with the Michelin tyres and prevent mid-race drop-off seen in previous years.
Whilst these upgrades have seen Red Bull KTM Factory Racing be more competitive throughout the whole race, engine issues have plagued the riders. Brad Binder has shown his wheel-to-wheel strengths whereas Pedro Acosta has shown the potential outright pace. Becoming the youngest MotoGP sprint race winner at the first round in Thailand put the #37 on the front foot, and in the early rounds he was challenging for the championship lead. Unfortunately for the young Spaniard, engine reliability has hampered his chances to remain at the front.
Red Bull KTM Tech3, the manufacturer’s satellite team, has also struggled in 2026. Enea Bastianini has been their standout rider, showing progression each round. Despite a rocky start to 2026, the #23 has often found himself in the top ten in the main races. A highlight of his year by the mid-season came at the USA Sprint race. Finishing fourth on track, a post-race penalty for Acosta promoted Bastianini to third.
In contrast, Maverick Viñales has struggled the most for KTM. Still suffering from the shoulder injury sustained at the 2025 German Grand Prix, the #12 had to undergo corrective surgery. Consequently, he missed three rounds. Although recent rounds have seen the Spaniard pick up a handful of points, he currently sits P22 in the standings—last of the permanent riders. With his relationship with KTM Tech3 seemingly fracturing, questions have been raised over his future.
Honda Have Been Unlucky
Also remaining on a previous chassis, Honda kept the RC213V for the 2026 season. To develop the bike though, the manufacturer has refined the bike to finish its development in this regulation era. This year, it features refined aerodynamics to improve the downforce. Following 2025 being their best season in recent years, Honda were coming into the year hoping to continue its progress.
Honda HRC Castrol has seen mixed results despite the improved machinery. Luca Marini leads the team and is the only rider on the grid to finish each race with points. In contrast, Joan Mir has seen more outright pace and more Q2 appearances, but his bad luck has continued. Although he’s crashed out of seven rounds, the #36 almost brought the team their first podium of the year. Unfortunately, a post-race penalty for tyre pressure saw his P2 in the Catalan Grand Prix taken away.
LCR Honda seem to have the emerging Rookie Of The Year in their team: Diogo Moreira. His wheel-to-wheel skills have seen him battle the front runners at times, but his tyre management often sees him fall behind in the closing stages. Teammate Johann Zarco brought the team a front-row start for the Spanish Grand Prix. Early stages of the year saw the #5 emerging as a frontrunner for the manufacturer. However, a crash at the first restart in Catalunya saw an early and abrupt end to his campaign.
Damaging his knee, Zarco remains off the grid awaiting surgery. As a result, the team opted to bring in Cal Crutchlow, who last raced in 2023. The Brit is focusing on testing and developing with the team. Overall, Honda has shown more promise in 2026 than recent years. But unlucky riders, inconsistent pace, and injuries have prevented the manufacturer from challenging at the front.
Yamaha Is at the Back
Finally, Yamaha rounds the grid out. Despite remaining on the YZR-M1 bike for 2026, the manufacturer came to 2026 with an all-new V4 engine. Their upgrades aimed to improve the acceleration and traction deficits the manufacturer has seen in recent years. Some aerodynamic upgrades also came to help with high-speed stability and rear-end grip. Whether these upgrades have worked is a different question. Whilst the upgraded bike seems more stable compared to previous seasons, it appears harder to extract performance, leaving the riders battling for the minor points in races.
For Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Fabio Quartararo, the performance drop-off is most noticeable. With only five Q2 appearances, Quartararo is falling behind on the performance he has proven. Struggling with the outright pace and tyre management has seen him lower down the standings than he’s used to. His teammate, Álex Rins, is also struggling for pace, but remains fighting for the positions he was in last year. However, the performance between the teammates isn’t as big this year. By the mid-season in 2025, Quartararo was 60 points ahead of Rins and in 2026 the points gap is only 34. Whilst the pairing is strong wheel-to-wheel, the lack of performance and confidence in their machinery is holding the team back.
The satellite team, Prima Pramac Yamaha, is struggling with the upgraded YZR-M1 more visibly than the factory team, leading them to have only a handful of points. However, the new pairing is fairly equally matched. Jack Miller leads the team, with highlights of achieving a P8 finish in Hungary. Toprak Razgatlıoğlu has impressed as he adjusts to the new challenge of MotoGP. Whilst he struggles to find pace on the Yamaha, his battles are clean and exciting, leading him to consistently make up places throughout the races.
Exiting the MotoGP Mid-Season
The first half of the 2026 MotoGP season has brought action and drama at each round. From injuries and replacement riders to new championship leaders and emerging front runners, each race has brought jaw-dropping moments. Recent rounds have seen silly season kick off, and some riders are set to swap teams come the end of the year. But despite where their loyalties lie in the future, for now they’re all focused on their current team and maximising every weekend.
As we exit the mid-season, there are 11 more rounds. With how the grid has been changing each week, there’s plenty of time for things to change. Aprilia and Jorge Martín are currently on top. But with 65 points separating the top eight, nothing can be assumed. Can the likes of Aprilia and Ducati continue their performance? Will Honda and Yamaha find more pace and become more consistent? Whatever happens, you’ll have to tune in to find out.