The 2026 MotoGP season is just around the corner, and while it hasn't been the most dramatic off-season in terms of rider transfers and seat changes, there are still some important changes to make note of.
The biggest news in the paddock over the winter has arguably been the arrival of WSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu to Pramac Yamaha, with Moto2 champion Diogo Moreira replacing the outgoing Somkiat Chantra at LCR Honda.
Aside from that, the grid remains unchanged from 2025, but only three riders have contracts secured for the 2027 season, making 2026 all the more important for the vast majority of riders.
A complete list of teams and riders for the 2026 can be found here:
| Team | Riders |
| Ducati Lenovo Team | Marc Marquez #93 |
| Francesco Bagnaia #63 | |
| Aprilia Racing | Jorge Martin #89 |
| Marco Bezzecchi #72 | |
| Gresini Racing | Alex Marquez #73 |
| Fermin Aldeguer #54 | |
| VR46 Racing Team | Franco Morbidelli #21 |
| Fabio Di Giannantonio #49 | |
| Honda HRC | Joan Mir #36 |
| Luca Marini #10 | |
| Red Bull KTM Factory | Pedro Acosta #37 |
| Brad Binder #33 | |
| Trackhouse MotoGP Team | Raul Fernandez #25 |
| Ai Ogura #79 | |
| Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | Maverick Vinales #12 |
| Enea Bastianini #23 | |
| Monster Energy Yamaha | Fabio Quartararo #20 |
| Alex Rins #42 | |
| Prima Pramac Yamaha | Jack Miller #43 |
| Toprak Razgatlioglu #7 | |
| Honda LCR | Johann Zarco #5 |
| Diogo Moreira #10 |
Ducati
Following a series of dominant seasons in which they have been practically untouchable, Ducati might just start to feel the pressure in 2026 as the likes of Aprilia, KTM and Honda gradually close the performance gap to the legendary Italian manufacturer.
World champion Marc Marquez will be a strong favourite to retain his title barring any disasters, while 'Pecco' Bagnaia seeks to overturn his miserable fortunes from 2025 which saw him claim just two wins and slip to fifth in the championship standings by the season's end.
Ducati's satellite teams, Gresini and VR46, will also be looking to continue their solid 2025 form which saw them pick up race wins for Gresini riders Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer, along with multiple podiums for the VR46 duo of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Aprilia
Aprilia certainly had a turbulent 2025 season. After signing 2024 world champion Jorge Martin from Ducati, things couldn't have gotten off to a much worse start as the Spaniard suffered a series of injuries which sidelined him for most of the 2025 season.
In his absence, teammate Marco Bezzecchi stepped up and delivered a series of impressive results. Starting with an unexpected victory in the British Grand Prix from tenth on the grid, 'Bez' would then go on to claim further victories in Portugal and Valencia, along with consistent podium finishes throughout the second half of 2025. Both riders will be looking to assert their authority as Aprilia's star man in 2026.
As for Aprilia's satellite team, Trackhouse Racing, the promising young duo of Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura surpassed expectations last year with a number of solid results between them. Fernandez took a shock victory in Australia, his first in the premier class, before following up with a podium in Valencia. Meanwhile Japan's Ogura displayed his talents with consistent top ten finishes throughout the year.
Yamaha
Yamaha have certainly been going through a dark spell in recent years, unable to pick up a single race victory in 2025 and just a single podium in Jerez to celebrate.
The team's star rider, 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo, demonstrated his talents throughout the year but was clearly struggling to drag the bike to a decent finishing position. Teammate Alex Rins fared even worse, often on the fringes of the top 15 and finishing the season 19th in the overall standings.
Satellite team Prima Pramac Yamaha have acquired the talents of WSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, who will measure up against Aussie MotoGP veteran Jack Miller for his debut season.
Honda
Honda will be looking to continue their trajectory of improvement which saw them pick up two podiums towards the end of the 2025 season after a brutally unforgiving dry spell.
Joan Mir and Luca Marini remain at the helm for the legendary Japanese manufacturer, though both will be looking to prove themselves with some more notable successes in 2026.
In the LCR Honda garage, Moto2 world champion Diogo Moreira joins veteran Johann Zarco who stunned the world with a thrilling wet-weather victory at his home race in Le Mans in 2025.
KTM
Despite boasting one of the strongest rider line-ups on the entire grid across both their factory and satellite teams, KTM have still struggled to unlock their full potential amid a slew of financial troubles off-track.
On track, the bike had the highest straight-line speed recorded in the 2025 season, but it wasn't enough to challenge seriously for race victories. Even the talents of Pedro Acosta could only squeeze a handful of podiums from the year, while Maverick Vinales would have taken second-place in Qatar if not for a tyre pressure infraction which saw him penalized.
Brad Binder was largely behind his Spanish teammate during the 2025 season, while former Ducati frontrunner Enea Bastianini suffered a turbulent year with mixed results.
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