There was the occasional
bright spark during last year's
troubled season—a fourth place
in Hungary, for example. Yet even
then, Martin "didn't have that
feeling, and I still don't have the
control of what I have under my
legs. I feel as soon as I have this
feeling together with the bike, I
will be fighting for victories."
And he's confident Aprilia has
brought three minor updates
that will aid his adaptation to the
RS-GP. "Already in Valencia, we
tried something that I was ask
-
ing for. It will work really well."
As
well as the optimism for
the season ahead, the launches
revealed an issue currently in
MotoGP—the lack of major
backing in some quarters.
Yamaha debuts the new V4
in 2026, barely a year out from
the biggest rule change in a
quarter of a century for 2027.
Fabio Quartararo (left) and Alex Rins (right) bring a wealth of experience, but
the company is pinning its hopes on the former for glory in 2026.
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FEATURE I 2026 MOTOGP TEAM LAUNCH REVIEW
