MotoGP 2026: Every team’s launch date

The 2026 MotoGP season will see its first track action at the beginning of February with the first of two pre-season tests this winter.

The season itself will begin on 27 February to 1 March with the Thai Grand Prix, which will be round one of 22 in 2026.

With the 2026 season fast approaching, teams have already started putting their launch dates in the diary.

Below is the full list of when and where each of the 11 MotoGP teams will hold their 2026 season launches.

Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team Ducati

14 January - Rome

Valentino Rossi's MotoGP team will enter its fifth season in the premier class in 2026, and will do so with a line-up of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli. 

Continuing to run a factory-spec bike for Di Giannantonio and year-old machinery for Morbidelli, VR46 will be hoping to build on its haul of six podiums scored in the 2025 season. It will also be looking to end a victory drought dating back to the 2023 Indian Grand Prix. 

VR46 will hold its 2026 season launch event on 14 January in Rome.

Prima Pramac Racing Yamaha

13 January - Accademia Musicale Della Chigiana, Italy

The Pramac Yamaha squad is currently slated to be the first team on the MotoGP grid to hold its launch event in 2026.

The satellite Yamaha outfit will unveil its colours for the new season on 13 January in Siena, which will mark three-time World Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlioglu’s first official event as a MotoGP rider in team colours.

The Turkish superstar, who will partner Jack Miller in 2026, made his public test debut in November in Valencia, but did so on a completely bare M1 due to his contractual obligations to BMW.

Pramac will also unveil its Moto2 team colours at the event.

Aprilia Racing

15 January - Milan

The factory Aprilia squad will hold its season launch in Milan at the Sky studios on 15 January.

The Italian manufacturer comes into 2026 with ambitions of fighting for the world championship, after enjoying its best season ever in the premier class, as it scored four wins and runner-up spot in the constructors' standings. 

Ducati Lenovo Team

19 January - Madonna di Campiglio, Italy

Ducati’s now traditional pre-season launch event will take place on 19 January in Italy at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort.

The multi-day event not only sees Ducati unveil the colours of its bikes for the new season, but also brings its riders and the media together for skiing activities.

Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia will once again present the new colours for Ducati’s factory team for the 2026 season, as it looks to see out the 1000cc era with another world title following the former’s triumph in 2025.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

21 January - Jakarta, Indonesia

The factory Yamaha MotoGP team will unveil the livery for its first V4 bike in the modern era on 21 January at an event in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

The Japanese brand has officially retired its inline-four engine in favour of a new direction, which it hopes will bring it back to the top in MotoGP and also convince Fabio Quartararo to commit his future to the marque beyond the 2026 season. 

KTM Factory Racing and Tech3

27 January

The two KTM squads will launch their 2026 liveries together on 27 January, though details on the event have yet to be announced. 

KTM fields an unchanged line-up of Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder, Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini across its two teams in 2026. 

Tech3 has changed ownership for this year, with ex-Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner taking over from Herve Poncharal.

Gresini Racing Ducati

31 January - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Gresini Ducati squad will pull the wraps off its 2026 livery during an event in Kuala Lumpur on the eve of the first pre-season test.

The team, who will field 2025 championship runner-up Alex Marquez and 2025’s rookie of the year Fermin Alddeguer again, will hold its launch event on 31 January in the Malaysian capital.

LCR Honda

1 February

Honda's satellite team, LCR, will pull the covers off of its motorcycles on 1 February, though details on its launch plans are not yet known. 

It will continue to field Johann Zarco, who won the French Grand Prix last year and is contracted to the end of 2027, while Moto2 champion Diogo Moreira steps up to the premier class with LCR. 

Honda HRC

2 February - Online

The factory Honda MotoGP team steps into 2026 off the back of a successful 2025, in which it returned to the podium and developed a competitive RC213V package. 

As such, it will race in 2026 in a higher concession ranking slot, advancing from D to C at the end of last year. 

Retaining Joan Mir and Luca Marini for another year, Honda's factory team will unveil its 2026 colours on February during an online launch event. 

This article will be updated with more team launch dates when available