A curious MotoGP season in terms of top speed too, but the European manufacturers are unstoppable

The World Road Racing Championship has kicked off the second half of what has already been a remarkable season with a bang. The lead changed hands several times during the first twelve rounds. Following a spectacular start by Marco Bezzecchi, the tide turned again in favour of the champion and his employer, Ducati, after the Italian Grand Prix. However, Marc Marquez’s run of comebacks was followed by a counter-comeback from Italy’s second-strongest force.

With no fewer than four Aprilia riders capable of winning, the old order was restored at the last event. Aprilia tops all the World Championship standings. Whilst Ducati is doing everything it can to hold its ground, KTM is left with nothing but the role of observer. Thanks to Pedro Acosta, they are keeping the Asian manufacturers at bay. Meanwhile, Honda and Yamaha are engaged in damage control. Both manufacturers have already thrown themselves fully into the development of the new 850cc prototypes.

The World Championship standings and top speed will still only be loosely linked in 2026

One aspect of MotoGP that is always highly intriguing is the top speed of the prototypes. Even with engine development frozen (with the exception of Yamaha), this has not changed, as the increasingly complex aerodynamics of the prototypes, in particular, also influence the bikes’ performance on the straights. However, an analysis of the top speeds achieved also shows that priorities regarding top speed have shifted significantly. Or to put it bluntly: the World Championship standings have only a very limited bearing on speed performance.

This was evident right from the start of the 2026 season. Marc Márquez, still not in peak condition and lacking confidence in the GP26, got off to a rocky start with mixed results – yet ‘MM93’ still topped the top speed charts in each of the first three GP races. At the US Grand Prix, for example, the world champion lost eight seconds to winner Marco Bezzecchi on one of his favourite circuits in Austin, whilst Bezzecchi was ranked only 14th on the top speed list.

Marc Marquez: Number 1 on the straights four times

No Ducati rider has so far been able to complain about a lack of performance on the straights. Desmosedici riders have topped the list eight times, with Marc Marquez – currently fourth in the World Championship – claiming the title of ‘speed king’ on four of those occasions.

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28.08.2026 - 08:55

Erfolgreich, aber nicht bei schnellsten: Die Trackhouse-Aprilia-Racer

Foto: Gold and Goose

The picture in the Aprilia camp was extraordinary. The most successful MotoGP riders to date, championship leader Jorge Martin and his team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, never had the fastest bike. Whenever an Aprilia topped the top speed charts – which was only the case at the Sachsenring – it was the RS-GP ridden by Ai Ogura. Just how much ergonomics and riding style come into play is illustrated by the example of the Trackhouse duo, Ogura and Fernandez.

In the Netherlands, Trackhouse secured a fabulous one-two finish. Ogura won, finishing two seconds ahead of his Spanish team-mate. When it came to top speed, however, the team played no part at all at Assen. Ai Ogura was clocked 13th, whilst Raul Fernandez was only 21st and a good four km/h slower.

The Austrians continue to look well-positioned. At the last Grand Prix in Silverstone, Brad Binder had the fastest bike on the grid, despite a supposed power deficit caused by a reduced redline. The very compact Enea Bastianini also featured right at the top of the pace charts in 2026 – yet his 12th place in the World Championship standings shows that the Italian’s problems lie elsewhere.

KTM-Pilot Brad Binder: Schnellster MotoGP-Pilot im letzten Silverstone-GP

Foto: Gold and Goose

The Honda riders have not yet been able to produce top results in 2026. On the straights, however, they were still competitive. The fact that HRC has successfully endeavoured to utilise engine power and aerodynamics efficiently was evident on the fastest straight on the calendar. Although Aprilia rider Jorge Martin had set a record speed of 368.6 km/h in practice, nobody was faster than rookie Diogo Moreira in the Grand Prix – his teammates Marini and Mir also featured in the top 10.

The only group that has so far been left out of the running is the quartet of Yamaha M1 riders. The riders on the new V4 development bike consistently rank at the very bottom of the standings. On average, Quartararo and co. are ten kilometres per hour slower than the European speed elite.