Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Completes Productive Barcelona Test Despite Weather Interruption
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP returned to work in Barcelona for an important post-race testing day focused on aerodynamics and chassis development before changing weather conditions interrupted the programme.
BARCELONA MOTOGP OFFICIAL TEST
TEST
Barcelona (Catalunya), 18th May 2026
16th
JACK MILLER 1'39.943 / 32 LAPS
19th
TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU 1'40.052 / 45 LAPS
After the emotionally difficult Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP was back on track in Barcelona for an important day of testing dedicated to the continued development of the Yamaha YZR-M1 project.
Action got underway at 10:00 in the morning, with both Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu completing several hours of work on track before changing weather conditions interrupted the programme. Miller’s testing schedule was mainly focused on aerodynamic solutions, while Razgatlıoğlu concentrated primarily on chassis setup work as he continues adapting both his riding style and feeling with the MotoGP machine.
The work programme was significantly affected shortly after 1:00 PM when a sudden but intense rain shower forced track activity to stop. Although the rain subsided relatively quickly, the interruption ultimately compromised the remainder of the day, with the original testing plan having been built around stable dry conditions across the full session.
The MotoGP paddock will now enjoy one weekend away from racing before returning to action from May 29–31 at Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix — the home race of Pramac Racing.
GINO BORSOI Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
Unfortunately the rain prevented us from completing the full programme Yamaha had prepared for the test, so we were not able to evaluate all the new parts we wanted to try. Still, the work we managed to do gave us some interesting indications.
Toprak tested a new chassis configuration and immediately felt more comfortable compared to the previous version, while Jack focused mainly on new aerodynamic solutions and also reported positive feedback, especially regarding the bike’s behaviour in mid-corner and overall turning. So overall, the upgrades we tested today seem to be moving us in the right direction.
What matters is that we are starting to see a clearer direction emerging. Le Mans, Barcelona and even today’s test confirm that we are gradually understanding the bike better and reducing the gap to the front.
Mugello will obviously not be an easy weekend for us because engine performance and top speed are especially important there, and we know this is still an area where we are suffering. At the same time, we are also seeing that in the corners our bike is becoming more and more competitive. If we look at the race pace compared to the beginning of the season, the gap has clearly reduced — from around one and a half seconds to close to one second, and sometimes even less. That is the key signal that tells us the project is progressing.
JACK MILLER Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
It was a busy but productive morning for us. We focused mainly on aerodynamic testing and tried many different combinations throughout the session. We evaluated our standard fairing, the latest update and also different versions of the new front aero package together with several side pod configurations.
I think we confirmed some of the progress we already started to see in Le Mans and then carried into this Barcelona weekend. The bike is behaving better and I feel we’ve definitely made some headway with the handling, especially in the corners where we need to keep improving.
Overall, I think we found some small but important gains. Now we head to Mugello, which will be another difficult track for us, but at least we are starting to see all the work from Yamaha, the engineers and the team gradually paying off.
TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider
Unfortunately the rain interrupted the work quite early, but overall I think the test was positive for us. We improved a lot with the medium tyre and I was able to be much more consistent while also setting some good lap times. The most important thing is that today I was working mostly alone, without following other riders, and still managed to improve, especially in turning and rear grip.
We made another step with the bike on corner entry and in several areas I felt much more comfortable compared to the race weekend. When the bike turns better, I can also accelerate earlier and more naturally, so that is helping me understand the MotoGP bike better and better.
Overall I feel much better than during the race weekend and we definitely made progress today. Now we look ahead to Mugello, which will be another challenge because corner speed is very important there, but I will keep pushing and trying my best.
Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
Toprak tested a new chassis configuration and immediately felt more comfortable compared to the previous version, while Jack focused mainly on new aerodynamic solutions and also reported positive feedback, especially regarding the bike’s behaviour in mid-corner and overall turning. So overall, the upgrades we tested today seem to be moving us in the right direction.
What matters is that we are starting to see a clearer direction emerging. Le Mans, Barcelona and even today’s test confirm that we are gradually understanding the bike better and reducing the gap to the front.
Mugello will obviously not be an easy weekend for us because engine performance and top speed are especially important there, and we know this is still an area where we are suffering. At the same time, we are also seeing that in the corners our bike is becoming more and more competitive. If we look at the race pace compared to the beginning of the season, the gap has clearly reduced — from around one and a half seconds to close to one second, and sometimes even less. That is the key signal that tells us the project is progressing.