MotoGP Test Barcelona: Rain stops testing work, Martin crashes again

– Just one day after the turbulent Catalonia Grand Prix, MotoGP was back in action on Monday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. During the official in-season test, manufacturers collected important data for the further development of their 2026 bikes for the last time during the current season.

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The track was open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but riding only took place in the morning. Due to the onset of rain, the teams declared the afternoon session over early.

The Monday test was the last official development day of the current season. Further planned tests in Brno and at the Red Bull Ring will primarily focus on the new technical regulations for 2027.

Who was missing from the Barcelona test

After the numerous incidents of the race weekend, the field for the test in Barcelona was significantly reduced. Only 19 riders were in action in total.

Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco were missing, having been injured in incidents during the Grand Prix and had to spend the night in hospital. Marquez suffered a fracture of the right collarbone, which has already been operated on. Additionally, doctors diagnosed a small vertebral fracture that does not require surgery.

Zarco also had to pause after an incident during the restart. His leg was trapped in Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati. Examinations revealed knee injuries as well as a small tear in the ankle area.

Surprisingly, Fabio Di Giannantonio also withdrew from participation. The winner of the Catalonia Grand Prix decided together with the VR46 team to focus on recovery until the Mugello weekend from May 29 to 30.

Di Giannantonio was also involved in the collision between Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta on Sunday. A flying wheel from the Gresini Ducati hit his bike in turn 10, causing him to crash. Despite the damage, the Italian returned to the pits, took the restart, and later secured his second MotoGP victory with a late overtaking maneuver against Acosta.

Marc Marquez was also not present. The Ducati factory rider is still recovering from his injuries after the French Grand Prix. After operations on his foot and shoulder, it remains uncertain whether he will be fit to race again in Mugello.

Ducati only with three regular riders

The absences hit Ducati particularly hard. The manufacturer was represented in Barcelona on Monday only by Francesco Bagnaia, Franco Morbidelli, and rookie Fermin Aldeguer – so only at half strength. Honda had to do without Zarco’s experience and relied on Luca Marini, Joan Mir, and LCR rookie Diogo Moreira.

KTM was complete again after Maverick Vinales’ return. Aprilia also sent all four regular riders onto the track. Yamaha was the only manufacturer to also use a test rider. Augusto Fernandez collected further data for the factory team after his wildcard appearance over the weekend.

Who set the best test time in Barcelona

In the morning session, Acosta took the lead of the timesheets with a best time of 1:38.767 minutes here in overview. Behind him followed Quartararo with only 0.064 seconds behind and Bastianini in third place. His Tech3 KTM teammate Vinales was fourth. Raul Fernandez completed the top 5.

The first Ducati was Aldeguer in seventh place. For Honda, Moreira was ninth. The top 10 were separated by only 0.552 seconds in the end. The standings did not change due to the lack of laps in the afternoon.

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What was tested in Barcelona

The focus was mainly on aerodynamic updates, chassis comparisons, and adjustments in the electronics area for the second half of the season. Many teams also used Monday to internally align initial developments for the 2027 project, even though the official 2027 tire tests will take place later in the year.

For the manufacturers, the Barcelona test was particularly valuable: Under similar conditions directly after a race weekend, new components can be evaluated realistically and compared with the Grand Prix data.

However, the testing work was effectively stopped by the aforementioned rain from midday. Conditions worsened further due to increasing wind, causing the teams to interrupt their programs early. Thus, none of the manufacturers returned to the track in the afternoon session.

Red flag after serious Martin crash

The first major incident of the test day was caused by Jorge Martin. At 11:27 a.m., the session was interrupted after the Aprilia rider crashed heavily in turn 7.

Photographers at the accident site reported immediately afterwards that Martin was conscious and able to move his arms and legs. As a precaution, track marshals fitted the Spaniard with a neck brace before he was taken by ambulance to the medical center at the track. At 11:40 a.m., the track was reopened and testing resumed.

According to information from the Aprilia camp, Martin remained “conscious and calm.” Initial examinations found no visible fractures. The hardest impact is said to have affected the elbow, which is why further examinations were ordered at the hospital. There was also an all-clear there.

Aprilia team manager Paolo Bonora hinted in an interview with MotoGP.com that the crash might be related to the front tire: The tire was probably not yet in the optimal temperature window, causing Martin to crash at a minimal lean angle.

After his serious crash, Martin later spoke out himself, gave a brief update via his social networks, and expressed relief about his condition.

“I am once again grateful to be uninjured and safe after a serious accident. Many thanks to the doctors at the track, their response was impressive,” wrote the Spaniard alongside a photo showing him on a stretcher with a neck brace.

Sixth crash of a chaotic weekend

Monday’s crash was already Martin’s sixth accident of the weekend. He had already crashed heavily in the first free practice on Friday, suffering a mild concussion. Later, there was another crash in practice.

On Saturday, Martin managed to advance from Q1 but could no longer compete for pole in Q2 due to a third crash. He crashed again in the sprint.

Martin was not spared in the Grand Prix on Sunday either: After initially surviving the two turbulent start phases unscathed, he was later hit by Raul Fernandez. The renewed accident on Monday thus continues the Aprilia rider’s most difficult season weekend so far.

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