Jerez MotoGP Test
Ending the Monday MotoGP Test at Jerez quickest was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) as the Italian’s 1:36.405 was enough to pip Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) to top honours. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) was third on his GP24, and there were more headlines made as Yamaha roll out their highly-anticipated, fresh-looking YZR-M1.
Ducati Lenovo Team
Visibly, there wasn’t too much to report from the Bologna camp. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was trying some different geometry settings, which is normal for test days. With 43 laps under his belt, Pecco clocked by far the least laps – 17 fewer than the next lowest, Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing). Signs of confidence, perhaps? You’d lean towards that given Bagnaia was fourth quickest and under two-tenths away from P1.
Francesco Bagnaia
“It was definitely a positive day. Last Friday, we had already tested some things, so today, we didn’t have many new items to try. However, we were able to confirm all the good feelings we had during the race weekend. Additionally, we focused on a different setup configuration that could prove useful in the future on tracks with low grip. Overall, I am satisfied with today’s progress.”
Enea Bastianini ended the day in P9, with ‘The Beast’ completing 65 laps in Jerez. There wasn’t much to go off on Bastianini’s side of the garage too, as Ducati worked quietly and away from the spotlight.
Enea Bastianini
“Today was an important day for us. It didn’t start easily, as I made a mistake and crashed at Turn 7 after just an hour. However, I quickly regained confidence with the bike. We tested some new solutions, and I really liked them. My pace improved lap by lap, and I was able to maintain consistency. Now, I can also brake hard, so I am very happy with how things went.”
Prima Pramac Racing
Quiet isn’t a word that can be used to describe Jorge Martin’s day. After crashing from the lead on Sunday, one of the #89’s GP24 suffered an issue during the Test. That forced Martin to miss over an hour of action and then towards the end of the day, the Spaniard crashed at Turn 9. He was all OK, but it wasn’t a smooth day at the office. Nevertheless, 71 laps were completed and Martin finished in P10. Better fortunes will be hoped for when the Championship leader lands in Le Mans.
Jorge Martin
“For sure, we didn’t start in the best way, but then we had good work, we were making good steps forward, we understand two things that will help me in the next two races, I feel we improved a little bit our base, and then we tried different things for vibrations that were ok, and I tried a new part and crashed, because of the wind, it was shaking the bike and I didn’t brake correctly, so I crashed so we finished that way. The performance was good, the pace was great, so we’re focused on improving our bike. This track was perfect so we didn’t have vibration… maybe we are getting used to the new bike, but even if it’s not like this we have solutions. Today we tried different solutions that can help us, that make us even faster, so I’m really happy with the performance and improvements.”
Team-mate Morbidelli was busy working on ergonomics as the Italian took part in his first Ducati test since Valencia last year. Unsurprisingly, Morbidelli lapped 82 times as he notched up some crucial Ducati mileage that will now stand him in better stead for the rest of the season. And Morbidelli was quick. P3 signals a job well done.
Pertamini Enduro VR46 Racing
After Marco Bezzecchi’s Spanish GP P3 and Di Giannantonio topping the Jerez Test timesheets, things are looking much more promising for the riders in the yellow corner.
New parts aren’t going to be landing in the laps of the GP23 riders, so testing is all about trying new settings and playing around to see if gains can be made. P1 for Diggia and P13 for Bezzecchi is how VR46 head home from the Test.
Marco Bezzechi
“I’m satisfied, we did a lot of testing in terms of setting and position. Some solutions that we had already seen at the first tests of the year but which we had not had time to test in the race. The tarmac conditions were optimal, however I didn’t do a time attack. It’s a shame about the small crash at turn 5, we lost a bit of time but we recovered towards the last hour. Let’s analyse all the data towards Le Mans.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio
“Our first test in MotoGP, which we finished in first place, is still a good feeling. We did a good job on the flying lap, even if we didn’t try to do it, but the track was very fast and the time came with the medium at the rear. We also did a lot of tests, it was a busy day with the Team, but we have very clear ideas about what we need and we know how to interpret the data. Ducati is supporting us, they brought us some small new parts to try. The GP23 is very powerful, aggressive, almost brutal and we have made a step on corner entry, on how to stop the bike better. I am satisfied.”
Gresini Racing
Marc Marquez has 71 more laps of Ducati knowledge under his belt as Sunday’s P2 finisher claimed P5 on Monday, with the eight-time World Champion leaving Jerez a happy rider after the few days he’s had in Andalucia.
Marc Marquez
“Today was a good day, just was a big difference to the test in Malaysia and Qatar, where I was still trying to understand the bike. Today I was just confident already in the bike, the lap time was good, I kept the pace, I was super precise in the comments, and I felt everything we tried in the bike, and that’s very important for the future. In the previous tests I was still adapting to the bike, now we are trying things and I was super clever what I need, we made small steps but always learning a few things.
“I already say Thursday before the start of the Spanish GP I’m adapting, it’s the easiest thing to say, but after many years in MotoGP it‘s one process to adapt to the bike, but I already feel the bike, like I’m riding well, it’s true that first of all I tried to ride to the bike, and now I start to bring the bike to my riding style a bit and find a compromise. But I know that there will be some race tracks where we struggle more, and some race tracks we’ll have very good potential.
“One thing is that racing is full concentrate, but when you finish a race in a good position, second position you are free, and when you have a good moment you must enjoy, as I learnt in life, bad moments will arrive, good moments you need to work to have it, so it’s only second place, but for me it’s a special second place, I’m going out from that moment and step by step feeling better.”
The same can be said for Alex Marquez. The #73 clocked an aesthetically pleasing 73 laps while in Test mode, and a P8 to go with it suggests a positive day was had for the two-time World Champion.
Aprilia Racing
Having been given the run-out during the Spanish GP by test rider Savadori, Aleix Espargaro tested the Noale factory’s new ride-height device. On the other side of the box, Maverick Viñales was trying Aprilia’s halfway-house rear tail unit – it has the diffuser like what Espargaro uses, but the top surface of it is rounded like the ’23-spec tail unit that Viñales prefers. It’s a mix of both that Viñales and Espargaro gave a go.
A late time attack – and 80 laps later – saw Viñales propel himself into P2, with Espargaro sitting P7 after a 66-lap stint in Jerez.
Trackhouse Racing
Raul had his first taste of the Aprilia GP-RS24 – the same bike that his teammate, Miguel Oliveira, has been campaigning since the start of the season. The runs completed during the middle part of the day on the new bike were an opportunity for Raul to gain some experience on the latest spec of Aprilia’s MotoGP technology. No date has been set for when Raul will make the switch from the GP-RS23 to the latest factory model but his reaction to the bike was positive. The runs that Raul made on his current bike showed gains in qualifying trim and fresh tyres and with fine tuning in the electronics settings.
Raul Fernandez
“We were really focused on our usual bike today. After yesterday, we had a lot to try on my actual bike and I’m happy with the work we did. Riding the new bike was like tasting candy – I did just two runs with the 2024 machine and it was good, I did a 1:37 which I am happy with and I think there is more potential. It’s not easy to adapt to this bike quickly, especially to understand the aerodynamics. It was better, but it will take some time and we don’t want to get confused as I’ll still have to wait some rounds before I get the new one, so we are fully focused on our RS-GP 2023. I’m happy with my current bike, which we were working on mostly today, especially on the electronic side and the information we gathered today will surely help us in the future.”
Today saw Miguel run 74 laps with a number of adjustments to aero, chassis and electronics, primarily aimed on finding consistency. Progress on the Trackhouse Aprilia GP-RS24 was positive and the set-up showed solid pace on used tyres with some questions left to answer on extracting more performance from the soft rear Michelin tyres.
Miguel Oliveira
“I tried a bit of everything; electronics, geometry, suspension, so it was a full day and I had the opportunity to make good steps with the feeling of the bike. I also had good pace; always very competitive lap times so I am happy about that. At the end of the day, we couldn’t have the best bike with the new tyres but we had other priorities to test, so it was ok for me. For part of the day, we were really focused on trying to get the best performance out of a soft rear tyre but, for some reason today, it was not possible for us. It also seemed like it was difficult for other riders so no stress. We go to Le Mans with a positive feeling and a good test in the pocket.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Trackhouse Team Manager
“We had very good conditions in Jerez today and managed to get through everything we wanted. Both riders felt more control and better than in the race, so we learned something. Of course, nearly everybody was faster than on Sunday because there was a lot of rubber on the asphalt. Raul was quite surprised about the 2024 RS-GP – he said there’s a lot of potential and it stops better than his current bike, so this is positive and of course, to go faster with this machine, he needs more time on it, but certainly interesting to see. He’s hungry to do better but he will not have that bike until around middle of the season so he has to be patient. Aprilia is still developing and they want four bikes that are exactly the same for the end of the year which, I think, is a great target. On the other side, Miguel improved his lap time. He was quite happy; a 37.0 with the medium rear, good pace and a good feeling. He said the problem is the soft tyre that he’s not able to make work well enough to qualify better. His race yesterday was very good, he had a great start and strong pace to finish in front of Maverick, who won the race in Austin and if you compare it in that sense, we should be satisfied with the eighth position. Overall, we learnt a number of important things today, some points to develop with and hopefully we can use them in Le Mans and they work in the same way.”
Red Bull KTM
At the end of the eight-hour session Brad Binder had logged the 6th best lap-time – two tenths of a second from P1 – while Jack Miller ranked 17th and less than a second from the top. Test rider Pol Espargaro was 19th fastest.
Only hours after the Gran Premio de España, the orange Red Bull bikes were again burning rubber around the 13 corners of Jerez. The work schedule concentrated on analysis of issues and questions that arose from the 25-lap race the previous day but also experimentation with aerodynamics (fairing parts), suspension settings, ride height devices and the clutch.
Brad and Jack were joined by Pol, who continued his own separate duties with a view to the future shape of the KTM RC16. Binder clocked 64 laps from 10.00 until the end of the session at 18.00 and posted a 1 min 36.6 to be 6th quickest for the day and 0.234 from 1st place. Miller broke the timing beam 73 times at Jerez with the 17th fastest effort: 0.950 from P1. Espargaro made 68 laps and was 1.1 seconds from the top spot.
Brad Binder
“Today was a quite a good day. We had some aero packages to go through to collect some information and keep pushing that side of the project. A little bit with set-up and a different setting for the rear shock that made the bike a bit more stable, which is always great especially at a track like this with the change of direction. We focused on things we can use moving forward next week. With aero you can win in some areas and lose in others so it’s important to take the comments and the data and work on the benefits. Now we can leave here and put things together.”
Jack Miller
“We worked through a lot today. Played around with the bike a lot. We still need to tackle the vibration issue when the track has a lot of grip and when you make a lot of changes there are a lot of other effects, so we had to find the balance and I think we made some headway. I tested some things today that I’m happy with. Things in MotoGP can change in a heartbeat. We’ll keep our heads down and keep working away.”
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“We had things to test in pretty much every area of the bike! It’s been a long weekend. Good conditions but it got windy later in the day. We made some interesting discoveries that we might use soon. We had a small delay with the aero but also worked on the suspension and ride height devices. This was one of three tests we have this season, so it was important, and we gathered the data we needed. With our riders we worked on the short-term competitiveness but Pol – and Dani this past weekend – were working on the mid-term. Overall, a good day.”
Sebastian Risse – Red Bull KTM Technical Manager MotoGP
“We just finished a very intense and productive test. We focused a lot on updates that we can still bring this year, which means the impending aero update but also other items like electronics, engine parts for even more performance and also suspension. We shared the test items around the group, so when we found something positive we could carry it over to the others to confirm. It means we have a complete picture for the items’ performance across the riders and we’ve quite positive it will have some effect in the next races.”
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 riders Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez took to the warm Jerez asphalt once more on Monday. Both racers worked further on their GASGAS RC16 set-up as well as trying new prototype parts for aerodynamics. Acosta finished the day 11th quickest while Augusto Fernandez managed the 22nd fastest lap from the full MotoGP field.
The team had a full slate of work for the session that began at 10am and concluded at 6pm. Weather conditions were good with sunshine but then the wind picked up later in the afternoon in southern Spain. The crew’s familiarity with the course meant that comparison and analysis for current and future parts was smooth and effective as Pedro and Augusto had their own priorities for development.
Augusto Fernandez was looking forward to this important day of testing with the team after a tough start to his second campaign in MotoGP, in addition to a disappointing Spanish Grand Prix. Fernandez tried many different settings as he continued to look out for solutions to be more competitive on the 2024 RC16. Amongst the areas worked on, there was also a focus on the ride-height device, the shock, and some extra work on the clutch following yesterday’s race. He completed a total of 65 laps on Monday. A late crash just before the end called it a day.
Augusto Fernandez
“A hard day of testing, important for us. We worked on the setting of the bike and to improve our feeling and we worked on many things. Honestly, I want to be faster but I’m not unhappy. We discovered a lot. The way is closer and we are narrowing the target. I had a late crash and I’m sorry to the team for that but…it will come. I’m looking forward to Le Mans; it’s a track I like, and I hope we can have a good weekend.”
On the shark’s menu today, there was an aero evolution, a focus on the ride-height device and some ground work on the bike’s setting. The sun was out setting the stage for a testing day with decent track conditions, so the number 31 did not wait long to get on with the work when the pit exit opened. With positives and negatives to feedback to the engineers, Acosta had done 33 laps at lunch time with a best lap in 1’37.224, 0.819 seconds from the top. A quick lunch break while keeping his leathers on, Acosta’s style, a few changes on the bike and the Spaniard was back at it again in no time. He completed another 42 laps to bring his total of laps to 75, with a best of 1’36.893 which placed him eleventh.
Pedro Acosta
“We made many laps, tried many things, including a new fairing and some details in the setting. In MotoGP, with some very tiny changes, you can gain some tenths, so every improvement is a positive. It was also important to do more laps here in Jerez as we struggled a bit more in some areas this weekend, and today allowed us to address the small issues we had. Anyway, we end this day with many positives, and we are ready for the next round in le Mans.”
Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 Team Manager
“Traditionally, the Jerez Test is always very important as it is the first one after the season’s launch, so we work on the current package, we try to find different options and develop some parts for the season, and this is just what we did today. On Pedro Acosta’s side, we had different parts from our to-do-list to try, and we found some positives in the aero configuration which gave him extra confidence, in addition to a different shock setting. We did not get faster than the weekend, but it was not the target, our goal was to develop the bike for the next rounds. Pedro feels more comfortable with the bike, which is positive for us. On Augusto Fernandez’ side, we focused on trying to find different configurations to give him the confidence he has desperately been looking for since the start of the season. We tried many things, pushed a bit more as we had more time than on a race weekend, and we are happy because we found something that he liked. We will keep this base for Le Mans, and start from there. Time to pack, and head to the next round in France!”
Sebastian Risse – GASGAS Technical Manager
“We knew it would be a busy day after a busy Grand Prix but it was important that we got through our items for the riders at this test and use the conditions here at Jerez to gather the data. As always, it was useful to spread the parts for aerodynamics as well as small engine upgrades across the line-up so we can confirm the positive comments. We also did some work with suspension settings and electronics. A lot of laps and effective work by the guys and we will look to bring these benefits to the Grands Prix to come.”
Monster Energy Yamaha
Needless to say, plenty of attention was pinned on the Japanese factory. Yamaha unveiled a sizeable aero update for Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins to put through its paces, which consisted of a triple-element front wing in a similar style to what they have now. New aero on the side fairing was also seen, and as Team Manager Massimo Meregalli mentioned in the midday live, a new chassis was part of the plan too.
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“It was a busy test. The list of items we brought here was long, so we had to prioritise the three most important ones: the aeropackage, the chassis, and some electronics settings, the latter we unfortunately couldn’t try earlier. Basically, we went through the testing plan step by step, going over these items. We are always trying to improve the turning with the chassis and the aerodynamics. Today, we were able to find the information we were looking for. After Le Mans, we will move on to Mugello for hopefully two more days of testing where we will evaluate all the items again because we want to be sure. We want to test the items at more than one track to avoid making a mistake. If the results of both riders at the private test in Mugello are the same, and they are happy, the target will be to introduce a bike update at the GP round in Barcelona or else in Mugello. We’ve exploited today’s test as much as we could, and now we leave all the information to the engineers for them analyse, and we’ll start action again in ten days’ time.”
Rins ended the Test in P14, his best lap coming at the end of his 73-lap outing, with Quartararo notching up 84 laps and finishing in P18. Speaking to motogp.com after the Test, Rins admitted he didn’t feel the new chassis was a step forward as Yamaha’s turning issues remain. Not ideal.
Alex Rins
“For sure it was a really positive test today! We tried some items: an aeropackage, a new chassis, and we also worked on the electronics side. Fabio and I rode together for a bit, just to understand the difference. He was riding with the standard aero and I was riding with the new one, and we wanted to see the positive and negative points, just to collect information. Honestly, the new aeropackage is something I like. I’m riding in a good way with this aeropackage, but we can’t have it for Le Mans just yet because the engineers need more time. But they are going to work on it. Regarding the chassis, that part I didn’t like that much, so we need to work on that some more, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Fabio Quartararo
“It was a long day! We had many items to test and took away a lot of information. We tested a new chassis, a new aero, some electronics as well. We gathered a lot of data but, of course, we need more time before coming to a conclusion. We will also have a private test in Mugello to get to know more. We just finished the test here, so we have to analyse all the data well before Le Mans. I think there are some positives but, naturally, there are also some things that we need more time for to make it work. But I think that maybe for Le Mans we can already start to introduce some new things.”
Idemitsu Honda LCR
The one-day test scheduled in Jerez after the Grand Prix has allowed Nakagami and Zarco to try a new aero package, some chassis-related items, and new geometries. The riders and crews have been analysing the different performances to improve ahead of the upcoming races.
Takaaki Nakagami
“We did more than 80 laps today, and they all were instrumental in understanding what is now the path to follow. I thank HRC for its effort; with some changes, we believe we will squeeze the bike’s potential at some point. All the Honda riders have had the same feeling, which is positive to improve“.
Johann Zarco
“We’ve tested many items today as we are working on fixing some areas on the bike. There is potential, and I like this challenge, but a few changes must be made to fight for better positions. Today, I’ve focused on getting the maximum feedback to help HRC find the right direction“.
Repsol Honda
Joan Mir and Luca Marini completed 134 laps between them to end the post-race Jerez Test in 21st and 23rd respectively, the pair working through a variety of items for HRC.
There was no time to rest for the Repsol Honda Team as they were back on track in the south of Spain for the fourth straight day. The first official in-season test of the year offered both Mir and Marini a chance to work for the future as they aim to improve their speed.
Mir would end the day in 21st place thanks to a best lap of 1’37.784. He completed a total of 62 laps before ending in the late afternoon. Working across several different avenues, the #36 was content with the information gathered and the effort shown by HRC’s engineers.
Joan Mir
“Today we tried a lot of different things. The lap time doesn’t show any of the difference but I really feel like we are closer to making a step as it’s clear the direction we need to go. Today was not about improving the lap time, but it was about preparing and building for the future where we can make a step. It was good to improve the general feeling with the bike and I have to say I am happy with the effort that Honda is showing to us.”
Like his teammate, Marini’s main focus was on confirming the direction for the future as he completed 72 laps with a best time of 1’38.153. The Italian focused on improving his feeling on the bike while supplying feedback on a number of items also trialled by Mir.
Luca Marini
“It was a busy Monday for us here in Jerez. Honda brought many things for us to try and we worked throughout the day to get everything done. We have been able to do a lot for the future. We are still far from where we need to be, but Honda is not resting.”
Riders and team will now prepare for the next round of the World Championship, the French GP at the Le Mans circuit, May 10 to 12.
Jerez MotoGP Test Times
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | F D Giannantonio | Duc | 1m36.405 | 295.0 |
| 2 | M Vinales | Apr | +0.087 | 294.2 |
| 3 | F Morbidelli | Duc | +0.122 | 292.6 |
| 4 | F Bagnaia | Duc | +0.184 | 295.0 |
| 5 | M Marquez | Duc | +0.232 | 294.2 |
| 6 | B Binder | KTM | +0.234 | 294.2 |
| 7 | A Esparnaro | Apr | +0.339 | 293.4 |
| 8 | A Marquez | Duc | +0.371 | 292.6 |
| 9 | E Bastianini | Duc | +0.387 | 292.6 |
| 10 | J Martin | Duc | +0.488 | 294.2 |
| 11 | P Acosta | KTM | +0.488 | 294.2 |
| 12 | R Fernanaez | Apr | +0.500 | 292.6 |
| 13 | M Bezzecchi | Duc | +0.515 | 295.0 |
| 14 | A Rins | Yam | +0.619 | 292.6 |
| 15 | M Olivaira | Apr | +0.658 | 292.6 |
| 16 | T Nakagami | Hon | +0.921 | 291.8 |
| 17 | J Miller | KTM | +0.950 | 295.0 |
| 18 | F Quartararo | Yam | +1.033 | 295.0 |
| 19 | P Espargaro | KTM | +1.116 | 296.7 |
| 20 | J Zarco | Hon | +1.251 | 294.2 |
| 21 | J Mir | Hon | +1.379 | 288.7 |
| 22 | A Fernandez | KTM | +1.445 | 289.5 |
| 23 | L Marini | Hon | +1.748 | 290.3 |
| 24 | L Savndori | Apr | +2.437 | 291.1 |
MotoGP Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Martin | 92 |
| 2 | Bagnaia | 75 |
| 3 | Bastianini | 70 |
| 4 | Acosta | 69 |
| 5 | Viñales | 63 |
| 6 | Marquez | 60 |
| 7 | Binder | 59 |
| 8 | Espargaro | 39 |
| 9 | Bezzecchi | 36 |
| 10 | Di Giannantonio | 34 |
| 11 | Marquez | 27 |
| 12 | Quartararo | 25 |
| 13 | Oliveira | 23 |
| 14 | Miller | 22 |
| 15 | Fernandez | 12 |
| 16 | Mir | 12 |
| 17 | Fernandez | 10 |
| 18 | Pedrosa | 7 |
| 19 | Rins | 6 |
| 20 | Morbidelli | 6 |
| 21 | Zarco | 5 |
| 22 | Nakagami | 4 |
| 23 | Marini | 0 |
| 24 | Bradl | 0 |
2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)
| Rnd | Date | Location |
| 5 | 12 May | France Le Mans |
| 6 | 26 May | Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
| 7 | 02 Jun | Italy Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello |
| 8 | 16 Jun | Kazakhstan Sokol International Racetrack |
| 9 | 30 Jun | Netherlands TT Circuit Assen |
| 10 | 07 Jul | Germany Sachsenring |
| 11 | 04 Aug | Great Britain Silverstone Circuit |
| 12 | 18 Aug | Austria Red Bull Ring-Spielberg |
| 13 | 01 Sep | Aragon MotorLand Aragón |
| 14 | 08 Sep | San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Misano |
| 15 | 22 Sep | India Buddh International Circuit |
| 16 | 29 Sep | Indonesia Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit |
| 17 | 06 Oct | Japan Mobility Resort Motegi |
| 18 | 20 Oct | Australia Phillip Island |
| 19 | 27 Oct | Thailand Chang International Circuit |
| 20 | 03 Nov | Malaysia Sepang International Circuit |
| 21 | 17 Nov | Comunitat Valenciana Circuit Ricardo Tormo |
