Why there's surprise names in MotoGP's big 2027 test

MotoGP's highly anticipated upcoming Pirelli tyre test at Brno will feature some unexpected riders, in spite of the massive reshuffle of the grid in 2027.

The test, which will be closed off to media and public, will mark the first time that currently-contracted riders are able to sample the rubber Pirelli is working on for '27 - when it replaces Michelin as MotoGP's tyre supplier - and the 850cc prototypes manufacturers have put together for the upcoming ruleset.

But not every manufacturer has multiple fit riders under contract that it knows it will be continuing with into '27, so the rider roster for the test has presented a particular conundrum for some, even if it's been straightforward for us.

Ducati

Marc Marquez - Fermin Aldeguer

Ducati will test with the two riders that it is believed to have extended into 2027 and 2028.

Marc Marquez is due to continue in the factory Ducati team, while Fermin Aldeguer will switch from Gresini to VR46 while retaining full factory status.

Aldeguer said: "At the end, it's an advantage for the riders that have a contract."

Aprilia

Marco Bezzecchi - Raul Fernandez

Current MotoGP championship leader Marco Bezzecchi was handed a new Aprilia deal in the off-season and is a no-brainer to run in the test - even after a controversial Czech Grand Prix weekend.

He'll be joined by Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez.

Other Aprilia full-timers Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura are definitely leaving in '27, both for Yamaha, but Fernandez is under consideration to retain his seat at the satellite team, and it can be taken as a really good sign for his prospects that he's testing on Monday.

KTM

Pedro Acosta - Dani Pedrosa - Pol Espargaro

Pedro Acosta will test KTM's 850cc prototype at Brno, despite it being widely known that he will be a Ducati rider next year.

Acosta will have received and accepted the offer to test as KTM's clear benchmark rider. He won't be joined by team-mate Brad Binder, nor either Tech3 rider, Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales.

Acosta instead will be joined by two of KTM's testers, Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa.

Honda

Joan Mir - Luca Marini

Neither Joan Mir, nor Luca Marini is set to be part of Honda's race line-up next year. The former is known to be off to Gresini Ducati, while the latter's future is still murky.

But both Mir and Marini will test Honda's 850cc prototype.

"I mean, I think it's a clever thing," said Mir when asked by The Race whether the call-up surprised him. 

"You are trying to develop a bike, you have two riders that developed the bike in the last four years, and the progression was there, so I don't see the reason why not. 

"And we will give good feedback to Pirelli in this case, that is also important, to try to make some evolution on it, and help them to arrive as prepared as possible for next season. So for me, it makes sense, and it's clever."

Mir suggested it was a win-win for Honda and himself despite their separate futures.

Johann Zarco will have certainly run in the test, having a Honda contract that runs through 2027, but remains out with a knee injury and no determined timeline for return.

Team-mate Diogo Moreira is also contracted beyond the end of this year, and insisted this past weekend that he would like to test on Monday - though it's not clear whether that's possible given Honda's Mir-Marini decisions.

Yamaha

Toprak Razgatlioglu - Augusto Fernandez

Both Fabio Quartararo and Jack Miller offered to test the 850cc bike for Yamaha, and Alex Rins said he had been asking about it, too.

But none of the three will feature. "On Monday I will be with my family, having a barbecue," Quartararo smiled.

"I mean, of course I understand that Yamaha don't want me to test the bike. I mean, this I see as pretty normal. If they ask me to test, of course I will test."

The under-contract Toprak Razgatlioglu, who is staying at Pramac next year, will thus be joined in the test by test rider Augusto Fernandez.