Rossi Calls MotoGP 2026 a Transition Season, Highlights Bagnaia and Martin

Valentino Rossi believes the 2026 MotoGP season will represent a year of transition, but insists it could still produce surprises from top riders who failed to perform to their full potential in 2025. With engine development frozen for most manufacturers and technical focus already shifting toward the 850cc era arriving in 2027, Rossi sees 2026 as a key balancing phase before the next major reset.

From a technical perspective, Rossi expects limited changes compared to last season, yet he underlined that MotoGP’s competitive nature means results can still vary significantly from one year to the next.

“From a technical point of view, little has changed. This is a transition season; all the manufacturers are already looking ahead to 2027 and are already working on new bikes,” Rossi told Sky Italia.
“The bikes are very similar to last year’s, but every season has its own story.”

Within that context, Rossi singled out former world champions Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin as riders he expects to rebound after difficult 2025 campaigns.

“Last year there were some riders who underperformed compared to their potential: especially Pecco, but also Martin, for example,” Rossi said.
“We hope they can all be back to their best.”

Bagnaia endured a challenging season adapting to the Ducati GP25, falling behind both Marquez brothers and also losing ground in the championship to Marco Bezzecchi with Aprilia Racing and Pedro Acosta at KTM. Meanwhile, Martin’s debut season with Aprilia was heavily disrupted by injuries, limiting him to just eight race starts.

Rossi also addressed the situation within his own Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, where Franco Morbidelli and Fabio di Giannantonio are seeking greater consistency as the team looks to end a two-year MotoGP victory drought.

“We hope that Franco and Diggia can also make another step forward and be stronger. Then we’ll see,” Rossi added.

Speaking during the VR46 team launch, Rossi emphasised how tight modern MotoGP competition has become, making performance swings from one weekend to the next increasingly common.

“The level is very high and, above all, in MotoGP everyone is strong and all the bikes are strong,” he explained.
“On one track the bikes work well and can fight for the podium, then the following week everything looks the same but nothing works anymore.”

According to Rossi, adaptability and preparation will be decisive factors throughout the season.

“Since everyone is so fast and so close, it only takes a moment to go from fighting for the podium to finishing tenth,” he said.
“That will be the key. We also have to grow as a team and try to arrive at each track ready to be fast.”

Morbidelli and di Giannantonio finished directly behind Bagnaia in last year’s standings, placing seventh and sixth respectively, underlining how narrow the margins were across the midfield and the potential for reshuffling in 2026.

Pre-season preparations for the new campaign begin with the first official MotoGP test at Sepang, Malaysia, starting on February 3, offering the first real indication of how this transition season may unfold.