Bastianini and the 850 Test Dilemma: Who Has Done Lots of Laps, Who Has Done Few, and Who Has Done None

Enea Bastianini is once again calling for changes to the MotoGP testing rules ahead of the 850cc revolution in 2027, but a month after first speaking out on the issue, nothing has changed. The KTM rider, who will race for the Trackhouse team on an Aprilia next year, is asking for the Sepang Shakedown to be opened up to full-time riders switching manufacturers. As the rules currently stand, he argues, part of the grid will start at a serious disadvantage.

Bastianini first raised the issue in Indonesia. The verdict today is a bitter one: "There has been no progress. I think we need to keep working on it and try to discuss it. I don't know whether we'll be able to do that this weekend or when we return to Europe, but we need to talk about it with the other riders too."

The 2027 bikes will change almost everything: reduced engine capacity, different aerodynamics, the removal of ride-height devices and, above all, the new Pirelli tyres. However, at the official tests held this year at Brno and the Red Bull Ring, only a handful of riders were able to ride the new prototypes. Ducati was represented by Marc Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer, Yamaha by Toprak Razgatlioglu, Aprilia by Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez, and Honda by Diogo Moreira: all of them will remain with the same manufacturer in 2027.

A few riders who are about to switch manufacturers have also already clocked up some mileage: Luca Marini and Joan Mir on the Honda, and Pedro Acosta on the KTM. The most striking case is Nicolò Bulega, who has been working as an official Ducati test rider in several private tests since the spring and, as a rookie, will also be allowed to take part in the Sepang Shakedown before the official tests.

On the other side, there is a sizeable group of big names. Along with Bastianini, Jorge Martin, Ai Ogura, Francesco Bagnaia, Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio have also missed the official 2026 tests. The Rimini-born rider has joined the criticism already voiced by the Roman rider, while the restriction is also due to the fact that manufacturers generally do not allow departing riders to test rival machinery.

The numbers are easy to work out. Bastianini will ride an 850cc bike for the first time at the post-season test in Valencia next month, meaning he will arrive at the February Sepang tests with just one day of experience on the 2027 bike. Others will have completed many more. Hence his proposal: allow riders changing teams to take part in both days of the Malaysian Shakedown and make up for some of the time they have lost.

In short, Bastianini explained, disadvantaged riders will have very few laps to get to grips with the new bikes before being thrown straight into racing, while others will have had plenty of time to test them—a disparity the Italian rider considers unfair. The next step is to discuss the matter with the other riders and the organisers, with the aim of changing the rules before the new technical regulations come into force.

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